Southern Company executive offers extensive community and leadership expertise
The East Lake Foundation, a nationally recognized leader in community revitalization, is pleased to announce that Chris Womack has joined its Board of Directors.
Womack currently serves as executive vice president and president, external affairs, for the Southern Company, one of America’s largest producers of electricity. In this role, Womack oversees the company’s federal and state governmental and regulatory affairs and corporate communication initiatives. Womack has held a number of leadership positions within Southern Company and its subsidiaries since joining the company in 1988. A dedicated and generous leader, he currently serves as chairman of the board of Communities in Schools and as a board member of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Bill Dickey Scholarship Association, Western Michigan University Foundation, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Georgia Conservancy. Womack is a national trustee for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. A native of Greenville, Ala., he holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree in public administration from The American University.
“We are honored to have Chris join our Board of Directors. With his extensive corporate expertise and proven leadership abilities, he is well-positioned to help the East Lake Foundation deliver even greater value to our community,” said Charles B. Knapp, chairman of the East Lake Foundation Board of Directors and president of Purpose Built Communities.
Founded in 1995, the East Lake Foundation’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty in Atlanta’s East Lake community by providing tools that enable residents to build a better future through education, affordable housing and connections with the broader community. The East Lake approach has been proven to boost employment, reduce crime and improve educational outcomes. East Lake has become a model for holistic community revitalization programs across the country.
In addition to Knapp and Womack, other members of the East Lake Foundation Board of Directors include:
J. Veronica Biggins, Partner, Hodge Partners
Richard W. Courts IV, Vice President, Carter
Thomas G. Cousins, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Board, Cousins Properties, Inc.
J. Alexander M. Douglas, Jr., President, North America Group, The Coca-Cola Company
Dr. James Don Edwards, Retired J.M. Tull Professor of Accounting, Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia
John R. Frazer, Executive Vice President, Private Wealth Management, SunTrust Bank
Lillian Cousins Giornelli, Executive Director, CF Foundation
Robert L. Johnston, President and Founder, First Communities
Mark Lazarus, President, Media & Marketing, Career Sports & Entertainment
Alex Robertson, Tiger Management
Ray M. Robinson, Immediate Past Chairman, East Lake Foundation Board of Directors, and former President, AT&T Southern Region
About the East Lake Foundation
Founded in 1995 on the belief that everyone deserves a chance to succeed, the East Lake Foundation (www.eastlakefoundation.org) collaborates with public and private organizations to provide tools that enable Atlanta’s East Lake residents to build a better future through education, affordable housing, recreational opportunities and connections with the broader community. This approach to building a strong community not only helps break the cycle of poverty, but creates a place where people of all ages and incomes choose to live. East Lake has become a model for holistic community revitalization programs across the country.
