Board of Directors Leadership
Here’s a list of the great people appointed to oversee the activities BGCMA is doing to help build Great Futures for our kids!
CHAIR
Thad Ellis
Cousins Property (Retired)
PRESIDENT
President & CEO Libby Saylor Wright
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
Larry Patrick
PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP
SECRETARY
Steve Cook
Pulte Group (Retired)
TREASURER
Sarah Saunders
FORVIS
Thad Ellis
BOARD CHAIR
Thad Ellis
BOARD CHAIR
Thad Ellis is a respected civic leader, seasoned commercial real estate executive, and longtime advocate for youth and community development across Metro Atlanta. He brings more than four decades of professional experience and a deep personal commitment to service to his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta (BGCMA).
Thad’s professional career spans more than 40 years in commercial real estate, including senior leadership roles at Peterson Properties, CarrAmerica, and Cousins Properties. As a former senior member of Cousins’ leasing team in Atlanta and Dallas, he has extensive expertise in development, leasing, property management, and investment strategy for Class A office portfolios. Over the course of his career, Thad has been directly involved in major acquisitions, dispositions, and developments and has served on executive and investment committees guiding long-term growth.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Thad is deeply rooted in Atlanta and widely known for his civic engagement and dedication to creating strong, connected communities. His passion for youth development was shaped through years of volunteer coaching in youth football, basketball, and softball, as well as more than two decades of service with Buckhead Baseball. These experiences reinforced his belief in the transformative power of mentorship, safe spaces, and access to recreational and enrichment opportunities for young people.
Thad’s civic leadership includes serving as Chair of the Buckhead Community Improvement District and holding board or advisory roles with the Buckhead Coalition, Chastain Park Conservancy, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Atlanta Police Foundation, and the Woodruff Arts Center’s corporate campaign. He has also served as president and advisory board member of the National Association of Office and Industrial Properties (NAIOP).
A graduate of Washington and Lee University, Thad remains an active alumnus, having served on the Alumni Board and as Chair of the university’s Annual Fund.
As Chairman of the Board for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, Thad is proud to support an organization that ignites the unlimited potential of kids and teens by providing safe, inclusive, and engaging environments where young people can thrive.
Thad is especially proud of his family, including his wife Beth, their children, Thad, Drew, and Laura Beth, and their growing family, who share his commitment for community and service.
BGCMA 2025 Board of Directors
Marissa Ahrens
Atlanta United
Lori Bates
The Coca-Cola Company
Katie Boscoe
Community Volunteer
John Bottini
Koch Industries, LLC
Dr. Barunashish Brahma
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Northside Hospital
Emojoy Brown
BlackRock
Jerel Causey
Accenture
Madeline Chadwick
Community Volunteer
Justin Clay
NCR Corporation
Steve Cook
Pulte Group (Retired)
LeighAnn Costley
Frazier & Deeter
Hasco W. Craver IV
City of Newnan
Richard W. Deriso
South Coast Commercial, LLC
Carl Drake
Ares Management
Reed Deupree
Masters Capital Management
Stacey Eames
Highland Bakery
Thad Ellis
Cousins Properties (Retired)
Ryan Esparza
EspriGas
Jenny Ethridge
Cendyn
Tiffany Callaway Ferrell
Atlanta Gas Light & Chattanooga Gas
Jacob Frias
Carter’s
Abhi Golhar
Meridian 84
Eric Hagen
The Home Depot
Susanne Hall
Coca-Cola United
Camille Hannans
Georgia Aquarium
Jeff Hanson
Floor & Décor (Retired)
Charlie Henn
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP
Cloteen Jasmin, Esq.
Community Volunteer
Nedra Jones
CIEE
Jim Kaufman
OpenArc Corporate Advisory
Dante McDowell
Capital Investment Companies
Brooks McElyea
Ernst & Young LLP
Aiten McPherson
UPS
Yasir Mirza
McKinsey & Company
John Mori
Mori Luggage & Gifts (Retired)
Aniska Moss-Melford
Community Volunteer
Anthony (Tony) Norwood
Saia, Inc.
Renee Pearson
Rollins, Inc.
Larry Patrick
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
Tom Reilly
Troutman Pepper Locke
Erin Mitchell Richeson
Community Volunteer
Brooks Robinson
Accel-KKR
Sarah Saunders
FORVIS
Aparna Shah
Equifax
Temano Shurland
Deloitte
Elizabeth Silbert
King & Spalding
Ricardo “Rico” Simon
Truist Securities
William M. “Billy” Small, Jr.
The Fountain Companies, Inc.
Courtney Smith
PNC Bank
Haydon Stanley
Fiveash-Stanley
Dara Steele-Belkin
Global Payments, Inc.
Michael Tabb
Google
Stephen Vault
Wellstar Health System
Trustees
- Sam Johnson, Ernst & Young (Retired), Chair
- Tim Tassopoulos, Chick-fil-A (Retired), Immediate Past Chair
- Katy Barksdale, Rockdale Foundation
- Liz Blake, Liz Blake Giving Fund
- Stephanie Blank, Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS)
- Simon H. Bloom, Bloom Parham, LLP
- Sidney Childress, Community Volunteer
- Natalie Morhous, RaceTrac
- Kathy Waller, Atlanta Committee for Progress | Coca-Cola (Retired)
- Susan Ward, UPS (Retired)
Trustees Emeriti
- Bill Rogers, Truist
- Carol Tomé, UPS
- Steve Voorhees, WestRock (Retired)
Council of Presidents
- Dante McDowell – Council of Presidents Chair
- Chicka Elloy – Cherokee County Board
- Patricia James – Clayton County Board Chair
- Robin Baggs – Cobb County Board
- Cynthia Finney – Coweta County Board Chair
- Dave Mikita – DeKalb County Board Chair
- Jamal Jessie – Douglas County Board Chair
- Stokely Weinberg – Fulton County Board Chair
- Karen Fortune – Gwinnett County Board Chair
- John Webb – Henry County Board Chair
- Darrell Hall – Rockdale County Board Chair