Our Team
A Commitment to Serve
Grove Park Foundation is committed to working with community leaders to achieve the holistic revitalization of the Grove Park neighborhood. These efforts require incredible coordination of resources, and people sharing a vision for improving the lives of individuals. The members of our staff and our Board of Directors are vital to reaching our goals.
Gavin McGuire has deep roots in Atlanta. After moving to Atlanta from New Orleans’ 9th Ward, he attended Morehouse College and was the first member of his family to graduate college. He previous served as Executive Director of the Andrew and Walter Young Family YMCA in Southwest Atlanta, and as Chief Operating Officer of Usher’s New Look Foundation; he also held leadership roles at Future Foundation and Strategic Wealth. He has returned to Atlanta from Detroit, where, as COO of the regional Boys & Girls Clubs, he pioneered new initiatives and helped drive double-digit growth.
Roy Cogdell is the Director of Education & Community Outreach. His expertise is finding co-dreamers in the vision of the neighborhood and helping bring those dreams into fruition. Over the last 5 years, Roy has led volunteer programs centered around food security with Open Hand Atlanta, Hosea Feed the Hungry and Meals on Wheels Atlanta. He is a native of Connecticut who fell in love with the city of Atlanta while attending Morehouse College. He now lives in the Oakland City neighborhood with his wife, Magda, and their two children.
Garry Long joined the Grove Park Foundation part-time in June 2019 as our Director of Outreach, thanks to a Loaned Executive agreement with the Zeist Foundation. He is working closely with residents and families in Grove Park around health, wellness, advocacy, housing, and education.
Garry brings decades of experience from his work in Atlanta’s Edgewood community as the Program Director – Place Based Philanthropy for the Zeist Foundation.
Garry serves on the governing board of Whitefoord, Inc. and Moving In the Spirit. He has also served on advisory boards for several organizations including The Neighborhood Fund at The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Horizons Atlanta Edgewood Site and Agape Youth & Family Center. He attended The University of Alabama and graduated with a B.A. degree in Business Administration. Prior to joining Zeist, Garry was a banking officer with SunTrust Bank.
Lynnette McKissic is part strategist, part systems whisperer, and full-time architect of operational brilliance. With two decades of experience leading projects and departments across various sectors, Lynnette has built a reputation for turning complexity into clarity and scaling impact without compromising integrity.
Whether she’s guiding logistics teams to move millions of pounds of product or aligning technology, HR, and finance under a unified operational vision, she brings a rare blend of analytical precision and people-centered leadership. In a previous role, she helped drive operational growth by over 2,500%, building the infrastructure to support a fast-scaling, mission-driven organization.
Now joining this team, Lynnette is excited to bring her experience to support the organization’s next chapter of growth. She offers a strategic mindset, steady leadership, and a deep commitment to building systems that empower both people and performance.
Karen has over 30 years of experience working in nonprofits. Most recently, she was a development consultant with Wellspring Nonprofit Resource. She served as the Director of Development and Chief Development Officer for The Samaritan Health Center in Atlanta 2005-2014. She has been a resident of Grove Park since 2007. She will be developing funding sources for GPF from individuals, corporations, foundations, and events.
TJ Austin is a dedicated resident of the Grove Park neighborhood and a passionate advocate for community driven development and resident support. He served as President of the Grove Park Neighborhood Association (2017-2019), leading various initiatives to amplify residents’ voices and drive meaningful change, spearheading the annexation of the 90 acre Quarry Yards site into the official neighborhood boundaries. TJ currently serves as an advisory board member for Westside Park and supports NPU J on the Invest Atlanta Tax Allocation District-Perry Bolton board, ensuring a balanced approach to community engagement and economic development.
TJ is the founder and principal of Austin Advisory Group (AAG), a consulting firm specializing in retail operations- grocery focus, loss prevention, and community-focused initiatives that encourage retail development and sustainability strategies. He has served as Regional Loss Prevention at Publix Super Markets, and his career experience also includes various retail leadership roles at Belk, Stein Mart, and Dillard’s.
TJ holds a BA in Communications and an MBA with a concentration in Finance. He is a member of Leadership Atlanta class of 2025.
Harold Buckley’s primary practice area is state and local government law, with a particular emphasis on land use and economic development. His practice covers all aspects of the development entitlement process, including zoning approvals, environmental diligence, development permitting, public-private partnerships and public incentives for private development.
Mr. Buckley possesses a unique combination of legal, design and urban planning expertise. He received his law degree from the Georgia State University College of Law (J.D, 2002), his graduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology (M.C.P., 1995) and his undergraduate degree from Tuskegee University (B.Arch., 1993). Mr. Buckley began his career as a planner for the City of Atlanta (1995 – 2000), where he served as secretary to the Board of Zoning Adjustment and managed a team of land use planners. Mr. Buckley is a member of the faculty at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of City and Regional Planning, where he teaches graduate level land use law. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Buckley practiced at a national Am Law 50 firm (2001 – 2012).
Joel Dixon is Co-Founder and Principal of Urban Oasis Development, a real estate development company focused on residential and commercial projects intown Atlanta. He oversees Business Development & Community Development along with Investor Relations.
Joel has been involved in both market rate and affordable housing development with strong community-based support and mobilizing private and public sector resources. Having been raised in westside Atlanta public housing (former John Hope/University Homes), he understands the city and is well-connected with Atlanta’s business and grassroots community leadership.
Joel is a graduate of the Urban Land Institute’s prestigious Center for Leadership (CFL) and remains an active ULI member. He is a graduate of Invest Atlanta’s Community Builders 1.0 Program and he serves as faculty member for Incremental Development Alliance, a not-for-profit alliance of practitioners who train small developers, helping citizens strengthen their own neighborhoods and helping city champions get the development their community wants.
Joel has a B.S. in Symbolic Systems (Human-Computer Interaction/AI) from Stanford University and Certificate of Mandarin Chinese from Beijing Language and Culture University.
Misty Fernandez is a Regional Executive for Georgia Power with over 24 years experience in the energy industry. In her current role, Misty leads Georgia Power’s external activities including customer service, sales, region operations, corporate responsibility, and community and economic development for the Atlanta Region.
Fernandez serves as chair of the board of directors for the Latin American Association, the largest Hispanic-serving nonprofit in Georgia. She also serves on the board for the Grove Park Foundation, Fulton Education Foundation and the Midtown Alliance.
Fernandez was recently recognized as one of the 50 Most Influential Latino Leaders in Georgia and was also recognized by the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility as one of 40 high-achieving Hispanic professionals in the U.S. Additionally, Misty been inducted into the YWCA of Metro Atlanta’s Academy of Women Achievers.
An award-winning global executive with expertise in leadership, commercial/revenue programming, marketing strategy, customer experience, operations and personnel management, Ms. Ferrell is the Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta (GSGATL) serving over 30,000 girls and volunteers. Most notably, she is the first person of color to lead the organization in its 100+ year history. Prior to joining GSGATL, she was the Chief Commercial Revenue Officer for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) managing the commercial portfolio that exceeded $1.5 billion in gross revenue each year under her leadership.
While her professional impact is global in reach her passion is granular, impressing the communities she frequents. She lends her expertise as a board member for Grove Park Foundation, the Andrew & Walter Young YMCA, and as a multiyear principal partner with Atlanta, Clayton, DeKalb and Fulton County Schools.
Ferrell’s award-winning career spans over two decades, including work in entertainment television, consumer products and sports contributions to WarnerMedia, CNN, Major League Baseball, Viacom and BET Networks. This fifth generation Atlantan is a proud Spelman College honors alumna (magma cum laude) and holds a master’s degree in communication from Georgia State University. In 2023, she completed the Harvard Business School Executive Education program earning the Certificate of Management Excellence.
Brian has over 25 years of experience providing comprehensive philanthropic, estate and business planning to affluent families. He currently holds the designations of Accredited Estate Planner®, Chartered Advisor of Philanthropy®, Chartered Financial Consultant® and Chartered Life Underwriter®. In addition to other community and professional involvement, Brian recently served on the Board of Directors, the Governance Committee, and chaired the Philanthropic Services Committee at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. He also chaired the Advisory Committee for the Philanthropic Advisor Leadership Institute and served on the Advisory Committee and Grant Review Committee for One Region Atlanta, the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Providers, and on the Professional Affiliate Program and Gift Acceptance Committee for CARE USA. Brian is a graduate of the 2017 Class of Leadership Atlanta. He is an active member of the Atlanta Estate Planning Council and the AALU, and a frequent speaker on philanthropic and estate planning topics
Janita Green is a seasoned finance leader with over 30 years of experience in accounting, tax advisory, and financial consulting. As the founder of Greener Solutions Accounting & Tax Services LLC, she empowers clients with holistic financial strategies, specializing in health & wellness, real estate, and not-for-profit entities.
Ms. Green’s career began in public accounting at Mitchell & Titus and PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she worked in both audit and litigation support across various industries. After co-founding Greener Solutions with her father, she focused on delivering accounting, taxation, internal audit, and process improvement services. For the last 11 years, she served as Director of Financial Systems, Processes, and Internal Audit at Kaiser Permanente – The Southeast Permanente Medical Group (TSPMG).
A licensed CPA in Georgia and Pennsylvania, Ms. Green is an active member of several professional organizations, including the AICPA, GSCPA, NABA, and the Atlanta Black Chambers of Commerce. She is also a stakeholder at the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs and serves as Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair for the Grove Park Foundation, as well as audit committee member for Camp Twin Lakes.
As a two-time breast cancer overcomer and competitive professional bodybuilder in the figure division, Ms. Green’s resilience and empathy inform her approach to financial wellness. Combining technical expertise with a passion for service, she helps clients navigate complex financial landscapes with clarity and purpose. Beyond numbers, Ms. Green is passionate about family, pets, travel, and mentorship, dedicating herself to making a positive difference in the lives of others.
Daniel has over 10 years of experience in financial services. He began as an Analyst at Bank of America in its Leverage Finance Division on the Loan Syndications Desk. Daniel went on to become a Fixed-Income Research Associate focusing on the media and telecom sectors. He has also worked for the mission-based investment fund Local Initiatives Support Corporation, where he helped manage the organization’s portfolio and underwriting operations. Daniel also spent some time with an Atlanta/London based hedge fund, Gallery Capital Management, an alternative fund that invests in specialty insurance risk at the Lloyd’s of London insurance marketplace. Daniel is currently the Managing Director at Habitat For Humanity International (HFHI), where he manages an impact investment fund for HFHI and advises on a broader array of financial transactions. Daniel received his BA, with a focus on American politics, from Williams College, where he remains active and serves as a vice-chair of its Alumni Fund. He is committed to helping improve his community, and is a co-founder and current board member of Crawfish for Cancer. Daniel lives in Atlanta with his wife, Laura Kolesar Gura, and daughter, Mirele Grace Gura.
Andre Greenwood serves as the Market Leader and Interim CEO for Aetna Better Health of Georgia. With over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, he is skilled at cultivating a collaborative environment that advances organizational goals.
Most recently, Andre was the Chief Operating Officer at Aetna Better Health of Louisiana, where he directed the Provider, Quality, and Operations teams, as well as Community Outreach and Marketing, while implementing strategic visions and operational standards across various departments. He possesses significant expertise in healthcare operations across both the insurance and provider sectors.
Prior to this, Andre served as Vice President of Field Network Management at Centene Corporation, Executive Director of Managed Care at WellStar Health System in Atlanta, and several leadership roles at WellCare of Georgia and Humana.
Andre holds an Executive MBA from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Marketing concentration from Florida A&M University. Residing in the Atlanta metro area, he enjoys traveling, sports, history, live music, and spending quality time with his wife, Naima, and their daughters, Ava and Aubree.
Chandra Haslem is a dedicated leader in financial services, affordable housing, and economic development, bringing extensive experience in strategy, risk management, and community investment. As Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, she currently oversees adherence to the Enterprise Fair Lending policy, ensuring that key business lines—including human resources, first mortgage, home equity lending, and mortgage vehicle operations—have effective strategies in place to mitigate risk and support the communities they serve.
In 2020, Chandra was appointed as the Atlanta Bank of America Leader on Loan to serve as the Chief Operating Officer of the Grove Park Foundation. In this role, she guided a team in developing an innovative affordable housing and economic mobility strategy, with a strong focus on expanding homeownership opportunities.
In addition to her corporate leadership, Chandra is a passionate advocate for community development by serving on the board, supporting efforts to develop and finance affordable housing at scale while promoting racial equity and healthy communities. She also plays a key role in corporate partnership initiatives in Atlanta.
Chandra is a graduate of Georgia State University and holds an MBA from Troy University. She lives in Atlanta, GA, with her husband, Todd, and their children, Todd II and Elizabeth.
As the SVP of Brand & Content at BIP Capital, an Atlanta-based private market investment platform, Rachelle is responsible for ensuring the brand and its subsidiaries are connected and relevant. Part of that work is overseeing the strategy and production of content that drives progress for the firm, portfolio companies, and investor community.
She leverages decades of expertise in brand strategy, messaging and positioning, naming, content marketing, writing and editing, and market research to craft optimized content for web, video, print, and voice.
Outside her day-to-day work, Rachelle is passionate about supporting and nurturing thriving communities through board and membership roles in various organizations. She is a member of the Executive Board of Directors for the Grove Park Foundation, working alongside members of the Grove Park neighborhood and the city of Atlanta to support and nurture a thriving community. She is a member of IWF, an author, and an active advisor to nonprofit entrepreneurs.
Jonathan E. Leonard is a native of Nashville, Tennessee and a 1987 graduate of Morehouse College with a B.S. degree in Physics. After graduation from Morehouse, Jonathan worked for Northern Trust Bank in Chicago, Illinois for three years in the Mortgage Backed Securities and Capital Structures Department.
Following his time at Northern Trust, in 1993, Jonathan obtained a law degree from Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska. Upon graduation from law school, Jonathan returned to Atlanta, starting his private practice of law where he has built a well-respected boutique entertainment firm primarily focused on providing quality legal services to music talent across the country.
For the past 27 years, Jonathan has been instrumental in providing guidance and counsel to some of the most successful songwriters, producers, and recording artists in popular music today. These transactions include but are not limited to the review, drafting, and negotiation of music publishing agreements, music production agreements, exclusive recording agreements, joint venture distribution and furnishing deals, music licensing agreements and various other personal services agreements related to talent services. He has negotiated such deals with every major record company and music publishing company as well as numerous major media companies in the world.
As part of his practice and representation of such talent, Jonathan is responsible for designing his client’s corporate structures and advising clients on their continued business development activities. Most recently, Jonathan has completed the acquisition, expansion and renovation of the property 2050 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, previously vacated by the Bank of America in 2012. The property currently houses his law practice and he has begun the process of leasing the remaining 7,500 square feet of office space to other local businesses.
As Chief Development Officer of The Benoit Group, Mr. Priestly is in- charge of day-to-day oversight and management of Real Estate Development, Development Advisory and Construction Management Operations for that provides The Benoit Group with expertise in utilizing LIHTC, Tax-Exempt Bonds and HUD221(d)(4) financing. Prior to joining The Benoit Group, Mr. Priestly served as Vice President of Development for Ambling Development Partners. In this position he was responsible for overall development projects throughout the southeast. He served as VP for Ambling International, partnering with the Bermudian Government as advisor to the Island’s construction, demolition, environmental remediation, and hospitality development projects.
A native of North Carolina, Mr. Priestly graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering. He is an active member of the National Low- Income Housing Coalition and serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for NC A&T State University Real Estate Foundation.
Lisa Jordan is Senior Vice President, CRE Group Credit Leader at Truist. Lisa grew up in Detroit where she began her banking career at Comerica Bank. In 2006, she relocated to Roanoke, VA, then to Atlanta, GA while continuing her career at Truist Bank. For the last eight years Lisa has lead underwriting teams that have supported Truist Community Capital; this group supports debt and equity investments across the Bank’s LIHTC, NMTC and Small Business Investment Companies. She is married and has a daughter at Georgia State
Larry E. Stewart is a seasoned digital technology and product leader who brings his expertise in tech innovation, executive coaching, and neighborhood health to nonprofit and agency boards. This marriage of technology and community has been a throughline for his career since his sophomore year at his alma mater, Georgia Tech.
He has spent half of his career working for top technology companies and management consulting firms building world-class technology (Oracle, InComm, Slalom, Kurt Salmon Associates) and another half working in Atlanta’s City Hall (City Council & Mayor’s Office) or building tech startups to harness the power of technology to drive business value while solving local problems such as food insecurity, financial wellness, and civic engagement.
Today, he is Managing Director of E-StreetTeam, a consultancy that provides consulting services to a clientele that spans tech startups, public service, local infrastructure, and retail industries. Also, Larry serves as Executive Director of the West Hollowell Foundation, a Community QB organization focused on prioritizing neighborhood voice in the revitalization efforts in the Almond Park / Carey Park communities on Atlanta’s Westside.
Larry’s volunteer work in Atlanta’s Westside is notable. Currently, he serves as Chair of the Atlanta Housing’s Board of Commissioners & Operations Committee as well as a member on its Real Estate and Finance/Audit Committees. He also serves as a Board Director on 9 additional Atlanta Housing Affiliate Boards, the most important of which is the Atlanta Urban Development Corporation where he serves on its Investment Committee. He also serves as a Grove Park Foundation Board Director and Governance Committee Member, WABE Advisory Council Member, Atlanta Civic Collaboratory Member, Church Deacon, and a Class of 2024 Leadership Atlanta alumnus.
Larry lives in the Grove Park neighborhood of Atlanta, GA with his wife Alexis. In his spare time, he’s a devoted fan of the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta United and enjoys snowboarding, international travel and watching true-crime documentaries.
Kansas native and daughter of a successful entrepreneur, Kat Taylor has built an impressive career. With over 15 years in banking, she developed and implemented growth strategies for more than 500 regional and local bank associates and executives.
In 2014, Taylor became the first female president and CEO of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce in its 86-year history. Appointed by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in September 2019, Taylor led the WorkSource Development City Agency, focusing on equitable employment, high-demand job training, and economic mobility. She assembled a top-tier executive team, gained City Council’s trust, and played a pivotal role in shaping the agency’s strategy.
In 2021, Taylor joined a top AmLaw 100 firm, Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough, to lead the Culture and Integration Department. She oversees the firm’s national culture and integration and DEI strategy, supporting the success of all attorneys in the firm with a focus on underrepresented attorneys. In 2022, she led the firm to achieve Mansfield Certification through Diversity Lab, has increased over all the diverse numbers of attorneys in the Firm.
Kat is also Founder of coffee brand, HOT COFFEE. Over her entrepreneurial career Kat has owned coffee shops, and her coffee brand has graced the offices of multibillion dollar brands.
An active community leader, Taylor serves on the boards of the Grove Park Foundation, New Life Community Alliance and 21st Century Leaders. She is also a member of the SouthState Bank Advisory Board.
Taylor has been recognized as a Top 40 Under 40, one of Atlanta Business League’s 100 Most Influential African American Women, and an Atlanta Tribune History Maker. In 2019, she was honored as Most Notable Georgian by Georgia Trend magazine. Kat is a member of the global organizations, International Women’s Foundation, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. Taylor holds a bachelor’s in business administration with a focus on Marketing and an MBA in Finance.
Carol Waddy enjoys taking a vision and making it reality. Carol is respected as a credible voice in community affairs and helping others extend their thinking wherever she serves.
Carol currently serves as director of corporate social responsibility and community engagement for Chick-fil-A, Inc. where she leads a team devoted to removing barriers to opportunity for underserved communities and youth. She is responsible for Chick-fil-A’s community initiatives, civic engagement, corporate volunteerism, and public/private partnerships.
Prior to joining Chick-fil-A, Inc., Carol served as a Vice President and member of the Executive Leadership Team at United Way. She has 15 years of global experience in various executive leadership roles from Fortune 500 corporations to technology focused companies including GE Capital and Acuity Brands, Inc.
Carol served as Vice President of Human Resources for Aquilex Corporation where she led Human Resources across North America and Europe and Director of Corporate Human Resources for Acuity Brands, Inc. where she led the human resources function for 10,000+ staff enterprise-wide.
A passionate volunteer and supporter of many philanthropic endeavors, Carol serves on the Board of Directors for Breakthrough Atlanta, Aerotropolis Atlanta Alliance, National Black Arts Festival and the Atlanta Public Schools Advisory Board.
Carol was named 2019 Atlanta Magazine Woman Making a Difference and 2018 United Way Woman of Impact.
Carol and her husband, DePriest support several philanthropic endeavors. They endowed a scholarship awarded annually to students attending HBCUs. With their help, fifteen African American students have realized their dreams of a college education.
Carol earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tuskegee University and a Master of Public Administration from Clark Atlanta University.
Carol lives in Atlanta with her husband and attends Impact United Methodist Church. They have one adult daughter living in Missouri.
Adrienne is the VP of Strategy/Business Development at Citizens Trust Bank. Prior to joining Citizens Trust Bank she was the VP of Finance of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and worked at a fortune 500 company and big 4 accounting firm. In 2016 she was recognized by Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of the 40 Under 40 and has taken on various leadership roles in the Atlanta community including the Atlanta Track Club Board, Atlanta Public School Audit Committee, Atlanta BeltLine Partnership advisory board, Outstanding Atlanta, Black Girls Run!, National and State political campaigns, LEAD Atlanta, and New Leaders Council. Adrienne is a licensed certified public accountant in Georgia and earned her Masters of Accountancy and Bachelor of Science in Commerce; Concentration in Accounting, from The University of Virginia