Atlanta, GA – April 22, 2003 – The Atlanta Police Foundation, established in late 2002 to marshal community-wide support for a safer Atlanta, has named Elizabeth Kelly as its first Executive Director. “Elizabeth brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Atlanta Police Foundation. With her leadership I am confident we will be able to fulfill the Foundation’s vision for Atlanta to be the safest major city in the United States,” said Cal Darden, Senior Vice President of U.S. Operations for UPS and Chairman of the Board of the Atlanta Police Foundation.
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin stated, "The Police Foundation is an excellent example of community support of government services. In these difficult times, creativity is essential in order to establish best-in-class services. Elizabeth Kelly is a great choice to take the lead in this effort. I look forward to working with her on this important initiative."
Ms. Kelly brings more than 25 years of experience in non-profit management to her role at the Atlanta Police Foundation. She spent over 22 years in the United Way system at both the national and local levels. She joined the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta in February 1996 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Throughout her career, Ms. Kelly has worked with both start-ups and mature organizations. “I am thrilled with the early response to the new Atlanta Police Foundation,” said Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington. “To make the Foundation a working reality, Elizabeth Kelly is exactly the sort of leader the foundation deserves.”
At United Way, Ms. Kelly managed such diverse responsibilities as strategic direction for United Way’s Women’s Legacy, the development of a statewide association of United Ways, management of the United Way/ American Cancer Society Partnership, redesign of United Way’s governance, and overall coordination and implementation of United Way’s strategic plan and management of United Way’s internal operations.
In 2001 she left United Way to establish her own consulting company that helped corporations and not-for-profit organizations leverage their strengths to better serve their stakeholders.
A past program chair of Leadership Atlanta, Elizabeth holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University. She is a member of the Atlanta Rotary Club, the Junior League, and the Regional Leadership Institute. She is a member of AARP Georgia’s executive council, and she chairs the board of Dress for Success Atlanta.
Noted Kelly, “I cannot think of a more compelling and rewarding place to be at this time than the Atlanta Police Foundation. With the strength of leadership that both Mayor Franklin and Chief Pennington bring - especially when combined with the enthusiasm and commitment of an outstanding board - there's simply no reason why Atlanta can't become the safest city in America.”
ABOUT THE ATLANTA POLICE FOUNDATION
The mission of the Atlanta Police Foundation is to support the Mayor, the Chief of Police and the Atlanta Police Department in making Atlanta the safest and most inviting city possible. The Foundation expects to focus its efforts on three priority areas: operational effectiveness, personnel development and support, and community engagement.
The mandate for creating the Foundation arose from the work of a small, ad-hoc committee of concerned citizens with Mayor Shirley Franklin, Police Chief Richard Pennington, and numerous community leaders. The ad hoc committee developed the founding board of 27 trustees, refined the Foundation’s mandate, secured initial funding, and committed to hiring an outstanding leader to manage day-to-day operations. Other cities, notably New Orleans, Baltimore and New York, have successfully established foundations that provide critical support to the Police Department.
The Atlanta Police Foundation, working in concert with the Mayor and the Chief of Police, has several key goals:
1. ENSURE that each Atlanta police officer is qualified, trained, equipped, and educated to perform at the highest levels of professional standards.
2. ENHANCE the Atlanta Police Department's capabilities through access to world-class people, processes and tools.
3. ENGAGE our community on the core issues of public safety.
4. ENLIST broad participation in the quest for an even better quality of life in Atlanta than we enjoy now.
The founding board of the Atlanta Police Foundation board consists of 27 trustees representing a broad cross-section of Atlanta's business and community leadership. No elected officials or city employees are eligible for membership on the board.
ATLANTA POLICE FOUNDATION-BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Cal Darden - Chairman of the Board
Senior Vice President, US Operations, UPS
Sam Pettway – President of the Board
Founding Director, BoardWalk Consulting
Peter Aman - Vice President, Bain & Co.
Ed Baker - Publisher, Atlanta Business Chronicle
Dennis Boyden - Regional Manager External Affairs, BellSouth Corporation
Charles Brewer - CEO, Green Street Properties
Edwin Burba - General (retired), United States Army
Curley Dossman - President, Georgia-Pacific Foundation
Roxanne Douglas - Chief Counsel National Interconnection Group, AT&T
David Fisher - Senior Managing Director, Bank of America
Jorge Forment - CEO, United Americas Bank
Pat Glisson - Chief Operating Officer, King & Spalding
Plemon el-Amin - Imam, Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam
Jack Guynn - President, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Sharon Hall - Atlanta Managing Partner, Spencer Stuart
Jocelyn Hunter - Senior Corporate Counsel, The Home Depot
Jim Hush - Vice President Security & Aviation, The Coca-Cola Company
Ira Jackson - President, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
Khalil Johnson - Chief Operating Officer, Georgia World Congress Authority
Dorothy Kirkley - Partner, Kirkley & Payne
Hala Moddelmog - President, Church’s Chicken
Carl Patton - President, Georgia State University
Egbert Perry - CEO, The Integral Group
Michael Ross - President & CEO, MHR International
Earl Shell - CEO, Hardin Construction
Jane Shivers - Atlanta Managing Director (retired), Ketchum
Scott Wilfong - President & CEO, SunTrust Bank, Atlanta
The Atlanta Police Foundation is located at 127 Peachtree Street, 200 The Candler Building, Atlanta, GA 30303, 404-586-0404, aashe@atlantapolicefoundation.org.