Paige Alexander serves as chief executive officer of The Carter Center, a nonprofit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter to advance peace and health worldwide. Alexander joined the Center in 2020 at a pivotal time for the organization and the country. In her first year, Alexander led the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic and a period of national social upheaval, while envisioning a path forward for The Carter Center as it transitioned from an organization that was founder-led to one that is guided by its founders’ principles.

Since that time, Alexander has strengthened the Center’s core peace and health programs and led the organization in new directions, including adding programs to address: the global mental health crisis; political polarization in the US; and the impact of climate change on global peace and public health.

Before joining The Carter Center, Alexander had a distinguished global development career, with more than two decades of experience in the government and nonprofit sectors. She held Senate-confirmed senior leadership positions at two regional bureaus of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), covering missions and development programs in 25 countries.

Alexander currently serves on the boards of the Romanian American Foundation, the World Affairs Council of Atlanta, the ADL Southeast Region, and the Free Russia Foundation, and as an advisory board member of several human rights organizations.

Deisha is an accomplished leader and corporate board director who counsels CEOs, shapes strategies, advocates for inclusion and builds high-performing teams. She is a passionate driver of transformation and results.

Deisha is on the board of directors for Urban Skin Rx, a skincare brand for diverse skin tones.

Deisha is also president of the global communications function at UPS where she leads all facets of storytelling targeting the company's 500,000+ employees and countless external stakeholders around the world. Deisha's team creates content that drives brand relevance, sparks employee engagement and reinforces UPS's purpose - moving our world forward by delivering what matters.

Previously, Deisha led the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s brand communications team and was the organization’s first head of DEI. Her work spanned communications, marketing and the millennial and gen Z-targeted movement, ChooseATL. She was also the architect behind ATL Action for Racial Equity which aims to address the effects of systemic racism in the Atlanta region and beyond.

For nearly a decade, Deisha was a senior leader in Walmart's communications team. Crisis and financial communications, consumer public relations (PR), philanthropy communications, DEI communications and CEO-positioning are among the areas that fell under her leadership. Deisha’s fingerprints helped position Walmart as an innovative business, trusted brand and responsible corporate citizen.

Deisha started her career in Ketchum’s consumer brands and multicultural marketing practices. She is known for her authentic leadership and impactful approach to storytelling. PRWeek described her as a “pro who represents the future of PR.”

Deisha is a proud member of the esteemed Arthur W. Page Society and PRWeek CCO Network Roundtable. She was named the 2022 Woman of Excellence by the United Way of Greater Atlanta. Her nonprofit board service includes: the Atlanta Conventions and Visitors Bureau, the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications, the Atlanta Press Club, the Grady Health Foundation, the Alliance Theatre and communications committee for Super Bowl LIII.

Deisha is a proud wife, mom and alumna of Clark Atlanta University (CAU). She has a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications with a concentration in public relations. Her alma mater honored her with its 2022 Pathways to Excellence Award, one of the highest honors given to CAU alumni. She also serves on the university's board of advisors.

Gina is CEO of Hope Beckham Espinosa (HBE) Communications and Marketing, one of the 20 top public relations agencies in Atlanta (according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle).

She’s a communications strategist and publicist who’s worked with for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations to elevate their brand, increase sales and enhance messaging to both the Hispanic and mainstream markets.

She has an array of clients from the hospitality, construction, retail and entertainment industries, many of whom want to connect with the fast-growing Hispanic market in the U.S. and Latin America.

In 2022, Gina was honored with national awards from PR News and PR Daily/Ragan Communications as one of their Top Women in Communications, recognizing her extraordinary achievements.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle named Gina as one of its Women of Influence for 2023.

In 2024, she was named among Atlanta Magazine 500 Most Powerful Leaders.

The Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce included Gina as one of the 50 Most Influential Hispanics in Georgia in 2021.

Gina is a member of the board of directors of the prestigious International Women’s Forum.

Gina’s expertise in media relations comes from her years of experience as a journalist and the many relationships she’s developed over the years working for the BBC, CNN, Radio Netherlands and Mundo Now.

She lives in Grant Park, Atlanta, with her husband Mark Meltzer, four rescue dogs and one cat.

Chanel H. Frazier is a transformational senior executive with a demonstrated record of developing innovative solutions to drive growth and profit. She is a trusted advisor to key stakeholders such as clients, corporate boards, investors, and employees, and is highly sought-after for her business strategy expertise.

Currently, Frazier serves as the Head of BlackRock Atlanta. Frazier leads a strategic business focused on driving innovation for BlackRock. Under her leadership, she has successfully expanded commercial opportunities by establishing new client relationships in the region, while also building an inclusive culture that attracts and retains top talent.

Frazier oversees the management of approximately 30% of the firm's global AUM, as of FY2023, and a team of over 800 employees.

Previously, Frazier served as the Global Head of Business Strategy for the Portfolio Management Group (PMG). As a key architect in the formation of PMG, she executed strategic initiatives for one of the firm's largest investment teams, managing approximately $4TN in assets under management, over 50% of the firm's gross revenue in FY2023, and a team of approximately 2500 employees worldwide.

As a member of BlackRock's Global Operating Committee, BlackRock's Investment and Trading Portfolio Oversight Committee, the Global Diversity Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee, the Executive Committee of the Black Professionals Network and the firm's Global Human Capital Committee, Frazier plays a crucial role in shaping the future of the organization.

Being recognized for her business leadership, she was named to Savoy Magazine’s Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America, a Women of Influence by the Atlanta

Business Chronicle, Atlanta Business League’s 2023 list of Atlanta’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence, one of Georgia’s Most Influential Leaders by Georgia Trend Magazine, one of Atlanta’s Most Powerful Leaders by Atlanta Magazine, a 2023 Change Maker of the Year Award by Savvy Ladies, and a 2023 Georgia TITAN 100 – recognizing the top 100 CEOs and C-level executives.

Frazier is deeply committed to philanthropy. She serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation Board of Trustees, the Board of Governors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and member of the Woodruff Arts Center Board of Directors. She is a member of the Carter Center Board of Councilors, Rotary Club International, International Women’s Forum – Georgia Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and The Links, Incorporated.

She previously served on the Board of Directors of Gibney Dance, a social justice arts organization and the national board of the "I Have a Dream" Foundation. As an advocate of young girls and women, Frazier has provided keynote addresses at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City and delivered a 2022 TEDx talk titled, Blank Space: How we honor the potential in every young girl.

Frazier is a graduate of Dartmouth College, earning an A.B. in Government. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law, and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation from NYU School of Law.

Julia Houston serves as chief strategy and marketing officer at Equifax, and in addition, she oversees communications, compliance, privacy and enterprise risk. She joined Equifax in 2013 and previously served as both chief transformation officer and senior vice president, U.S. legal.

Before joining Equifax, Julia was general counsel and corporate secretary at Convergys Corporation, as well as general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary at Mirant Corporation.

Julia is active in the Atlanta community, and currently serves on the boards of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Leadership Atlanta, the Woodruff Arts Center, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta Police Foundation. She recently finished a term as board chair of CHRIS 180 and now serves on its advisory council. She is a member of the International Women’s Forum, the Rotary Club of Atlanta and The Carter Center’s Board of Councilors.

She holds a Juris Doctor degree summa cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law and a bachelor’s degree with distinction from the University of Virginia.

Kaye Husbands Fealing is Dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology, formerly the Chair of the School of Public Policy Georgia Tech. She specializes in science of science and innovation policy, the public value of research expenditures, and the underrepresentation of women and minorities in STEM fields and workforce. Prior to her position at Georgia Tech, Husbands Fealing taught at the University of Minnesota and Williams College. She was also a program officer at the National Science Foundation (NSF), where she developed and was the inaugural program director for the Science of Science and Innovation Policy program and co-chaired an Interagency Task Group, chartered by the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council. Husbands Fealing was a visiting scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Technology Policy and Industrial Development.

Husbands Fealing is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is an Elected Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She received the 2023 Carolyn Shaw Bell Award from the American Economic Association's Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession, and the 2017 Trailblazer Award from the National Medical Association Council on Concerns of Women Physicians. She is a member of the International Women’s Forum, Georgia Chapter. She also serves as chair of NSF’s Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering, a member of NSF's Directorate of STEM Education Advisory Committee, a member on AAAS' Executive Board, and a board member for the Society for Economic Measurement.

Husbands Fealing holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University, and a B.A. in mathematics and economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ayesha Khanna is Managing Director of CARE Enterprises Inc. (CEI), with 20+ years of experience in social impact and business sectors leading national and global organizations and scaling for-profit and non-profit ventures. She has spent a career dedicated to advancing the opportunities and rights for women and marginalized communities through high-impact, innovative approaches. She was founder of the Civic Accelerator with a portfolio of 245 social enterprises led by majority diverse and women founders, and most recently with the Acumen Fund, after serving a decade as President of Civic Innovation with Points of Light, the largest global civic action organization. She led the YWCA of Greater Atlanta during a critical time in its development, co-chaired Women for Obama Georgia during the 2008 campaign, and served as COO of United Way as it transformed to a community-based organization and launched several policy initiatives including the Georgia Early Learning Initiative. She began her career working with women building health centers in rural central India and in the strategy practice of Accenture in New York City.

CEI is a for-profit subsidiary and impact investment arm of global humanitarian organization CARE USA. Its mission is to make markets work for women and create economic opportunities for people in poverty by investing in proven, scalable for-benefit companies that employ, serve and are led by women. CEI is raising one of the largest global gender justice funds to finance businesses in Southeast Asia, Central America and Sub-Saharan Africa – CARE-SheTrades Impact Fund – in partnership with Bamboo Capital.

Ayesha was appointed to the Georgia Commission on Women and the Fort McPherson Planning and Implementation Authorities by various Georgia Governors. She has served on many community boards and currently is a co-founder of the Atlanta Civic Collab, chairs solutions journalism non-profit Atlanta Civic Circle, and serves on the national Fuse Corps city fellowship and TEDx Atlanta Boards of Directors. She received her MA in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, New York, and her BA in Psychology and English from Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania. Ayesha lives with her husband David Edwards and their daughter in Atlanta, Georgia

As president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, Lauren Koontz leads the organization’s efforts to ensure that all people — especially children — experience an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. With a career spent in educational and health nonprofit development, she’s committed to the purpose of making the Y a thought-leader and best-in-class provider of youth development and wellness programs designed to strengthen Atlanta communities. She is the first woman president and CEO in the YMCA of Metro Atlanta’s 165+ year history.

Functionally, she is responsible for the overall success of the Atlanta Association’s 35 membership and program branches, early learning centers, outdoor and resident camps, the YMCA Leadership & Learning Center, and the teams of employees and volunteers who bring these places and programs to life.

Lauren serves on the Board of Directors of The Fox Theatre, the Board of Advisors for the J. Mack Robinson College of Business, and the Truist Community Advisory Board. Lauren is also a member of the Atlanta Chapter of the International Women’s Forum.

In 2022, Lauren was recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of Atlanta’s Most Admired CEOs. In 2020, Lauren was named one of Atlanta Magazine’s Women Making a Mark. Lauren is a member of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2018 and is an active Leadership Atlanta alum and volunteer. In 2013, Lauren was named among the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “40 Under 40.”

Maya Penn is a 23 year old award-winning environmental and environmental activist, CEO, founder, multidisciplinary artist, animator, 3 time TED speaker, and author. Starting in 2008 at just 8 years old when she founded her own eco-friendly clothing company Maya’s Ideas, and then launching her nonprofit in 2011 Maya has been working in sustainability and climate justice for over 15 years. Maya received a commendation from President Barack Obama at 16 years old for outstanding achievement in environmental stewardship. Being an animator and filmmaker, she made history with her animation when she was commissioned to create an animated film for the first ever digital report presented to US congress, which was to get an American museum of Women’s History built in Washington. Maya was awarded the Coretta Scott King A.N.G.E.L. Award at 16 years old, as well as honored with the SCLC W.O.M.E.N Drum Major for Justice Award at 12 years old. Being born and raised in Georgia has shaped much of Maya’s activism and she has had the immense honor of directly learning insight first hand from trailblazers and leaders like Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery, and Evelyn Lowery, Dr. Bernice A. King, and the late Rep. John Lewis.

Maya has been a worldwide speaker, change maker, educator and activist for over a decade, with talks that have been translated into over 100 languages, and books on social and sustainable entrepreneurship that have been used in curriculum in schools around the world. Through her own nonprofit Maya's Ideas 4 The Planet, she has launched humanitarian and environmental justice initiatives in the US, Haiti, Senegal, Somalia, and Cameroon tackling issues such as period poverty, food insecurity, environmental education, and more. Maya is certified by Cambridge Business School in Circular Economies and Sustainable Strategies. She is a sought after sustainability and Gen Z consultant for Fortune 500 businesses and nonprofits. An alum of SCAD, now through her animation and film production company Upenndo! Productions, Maya is centering job creation and storytelling opportunities for next gen artists in creative industries. Maya is directing an original environmental animated short film titled ASALI: Power of The Pollinators, Executive produced by Viola Davis and JuVee Productions, featuring the voices of Whoopi Goldberg, Monique Coleman, and more. Maya is a passionate innovator and change maker for both people and planet and has dedicated the majority of her life to this mission.

April Ross currently serves as the Executive Director for the Georgia Commission on Family Violence. Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Ross served as a prosecutor at the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. A graduate of Emory University School of Law and a member of the Georgia Bar since 2011, Ms. Ross also obtained her MBA and Bachelor of Science in Business degrees from Florida A & M University. She began her professional career in marketing prior to pursuing a law degree.

As a law student, Ms. Ross received notable recognition for her advocacy skills. She received the esteemed Emory Law Kessler-Eidson trial advocacy award and scholarship. She participated in Emory Law's Mock Trial team, where her team was the regional winner and national finalist in her competition division. Ms. Ross furthered her advocacy by working as the coordinator for the Barton Juvenile Law Clinic's “Know Your Rights” program, dedicated to educating youth about their rights when encountering law enforcement and the criminal justice system. She also served as a volunteer legal advocate for the Partnership Against Domestic Violence in the Fulton County Safe Families Office, helping victims of domestic abuse obtain emergency protective orders and find safe alternatives while trying to escape intimate partner violence.

On April 25, 2014, Ms. Ross was shot multiple times by her estranged husband after filing for divorce. She was shot in the face, arm and back. The attack left her paralyzed from the chest down. Since the shooting, Ms. Ross has been sharing her story, advocating against domestic violence, and helping survivors of abusive relationships.

Ms. Ross works to spread awareness and education about recognizing early signs and safely escaping abusive relationships. She speaks to survivors, youth groups, the law enforcement community, victim advocacy organizations, and the public to foster energy for change against the epidemic of violence in family and intimate relationships. Additionally, Ms. Ross is a peer support mentor for patients seen at the Shepherd Center with recent spinal cord injuries, particularly those whose injury was the result of domestic abuse and/or gun violence.