15 People & Culture Leaders in Atlanta to Watch

Last updated: 5 August 2026

Atlanta has a deep bench of people and culture leaders working across sport, healthcare, higher education, government, financial services, professional services and civic organisations. This list brings together 15 current senior people leaders whose roles shape how people experience work across the city.

This is a recognition directory, not a ranking. The useful question is what each leader is responsible for, how that work connects to the organisation’s mission and what other leaders can learn from the remit.

Why People and Culture Leadership Matters in Atlanta

Atlanta organisations operate across a wide mix of industries and communities. That makes the people function more than an internal support team. It is part of how organisations hire well, build trust, develop leaders, improve service and make change stick.

The leaders below show that the work can sit under different titles. Some lead traditional human resources functions. Others hold a people, culture, employee experience or strategy remit. The common thread is responsibility for the conditions in which people do their best work.

1. DeRetta Rhodes

Executive Vice President and Chief Culture Officer, Atlanta Braves

DeRetta Rhodes leads people capital, communications and community affairs for the Atlanta Braves and The Battery Atlanta. Her remit shows how culture leadership can stretch across employees, customers, community and brand. The Braves profile also records earlier senior HR roles with the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, First Data and Turner Broadcasting.

2. Jennifer Cowart

Senior Vice President, People and Culture, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Jennifer Cowart oversees the Atlanta Fed’s People and Culture department and helps advance the Bank’s values and culture. She joined the Atlanta Fed as senior legal counsel before moving into broader people leadership. That path brings a useful perspective on fairness, process and the consequences of people decisions.

3. Camye Mackey

Executive Vice President and Chief People, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena

Camye Mackey leads people philosophy and culture for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. Her work connects leadership development, inclusion, employee culture and the guest experience. The organisation’s S.M.I.L.E. service philosophy gives that connection a practical customer-facing shape.

4. Rock Anderson, Jr.

Chief Human Resources Officer, Emory Healthcare

Rock Anderson, Jr. leads talent strategy, employee engagement and development, and HR operations for Emory Healthcare. His background includes senior people roles at Cox Automotive and AutoNation. That experience across healthcare and automotive gives him a useful lens on transformation and workforce scale.

5. Kevin Moody

Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Emory University

Kevin Moody leads Emory University’s human resources function across recruitment, employee relations, compensation, benefits, HR technology, wellness, learning and organisational development. He joined Emory from Stanford, where he oversaw HR and facilities for a large university workforce. The breadth of the remit shows how university HR combines service delivery with long-term workforce planning.

6. Linda Matzigkeit

Chief Administrative Officer, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Linda Matzigkeit provides executive oversight of human resources, legal, compliance, marketing, communications, strategic planning and wellness at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She also earned an EMT licence and works shifts as a tech in Children’s Emergency Departments. That frontline connection gives her a direct view of the environment many of the organisation’s people experience.

7. Rosalind “Roz” Tucker

Chief Human Resources Officer, Atlanta Regional Commission

Rosalind “Roz” Tucker leads the Atlanta Regional Commission’s people systems across talent acquisition, workforce investment, compensation, learning, performance and compliance. ARC announced her appointment in 2025 and placed her on its Executive Leadership Team. That position reflects the strategic role people work can play in a regional organisation built on collaboration.

8. Sloane Drake

Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Southern Company

Sloane Drake leads a broad people portfolio for Southern Company, including HR delivery, labour relations, talent, total rewards, health and wellbeing, HR technology and workforce inclusion. Before the group role, she held senior HR positions at Georgia Power and Southern Company Gas. Her path shows how people leaders can build enterprise influence by learning the operating context of different businesses.

9. Carolyn O’Boyle

Chief People Officer and Partner, Aprio

Carolyn O’Boyle leads talent strategy at Aprio and aligns the people plan with the firm’s wider business strategy and workforce needs. Her earlier career included senior talent and strategy roles at Deloitte and Boston Beer. That combination is especially relevant in professional services, where the client experience is closely tied to the people experience.

10. Anu Kothari

Chief Human Resources Officer, YMCA of Metro Atlanta

Anu Kothari is the Chief Human Resources Officer for the YMCA of Metro Atlanta. In a community organisation, the people function supports staff, volunteers, members and local impact at the same time. Her role is a useful reminder that culture becomes practical through the systems that help service organisations deliver consistently.

11. Georgia Yanis

Senior Vice President of People, Metro Atlanta Chamber

Georgia Yanis leads talent management, talent development, performance management and culture at the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Her background combines communications and art history with senior people planning. That mix is a good reminder that people leadership draws on stories, relationships and how culture is experienced, not only on technical HR knowledge.

12. Terri Walthour

Senior People and Culture leader, Spelman College

Terri Walthour is helping expand People and Culture at Spelman across talent acquisition, total rewards, learning and development, employee relations and engagement. She previously served as assistant vice president and chief human resources officer at the University of West Georgia. Her experience across higher education and community organisations gives her a wide view of people work.

13. Nadine Phelps

Director of People, Culture and Strategy, Center for Civic Innovation

Nadine Phelps holds a role that joins people operations, culture and strategy inside an Atlanta civic organisation. Before joining the Center for Civic Innovation, she led culture and people operations for a music festival production company. That movement across creative and civic settings gives her a distinctive perspective on building belonging, clarity and practical systems.

14. Calvin W. Blackburn III

Commissioner, Department of Human Resources, City of Atlanta

Calvin W. Blackburn III leads the City of Atlanta’s Department of Human Resources across hiring, compensation, employee support and workforce development. His move from labour and employment law into public-sector HR is a useful example of how trusted people systems depend on both sound process and practical leadership. The role puts people work close to the everyday operation of a major city.

15. Andrea Burson

Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, NCR Atleos

Andrea Burson leads the human resources function for NCR Atleos, a technology company headquartered in Atlanta. Her role sits at the intersection of workforce planning, business change and the people systems that support a global organisation. The company profile records her progression from acting CHRO to the permanent role, a useful example of continuity during change.

Conclusion

Atlanta’s people and culture work is being shaped by leaders across sport, healthcare, education, government, professional services, finance and civic life. The strongest people roles connect practical systems with the real experience of employees, customers, patients, students, fans, volunteers and communities.

Use this list as a starting point. Choose one leader, read their organisation’s current priorities and ask what your own team could make clearer, kinder or more useful this week.

Related Reading

For practical ideas you can use with your own team, read Why Culture Change Fails, 11 Proven Ways to Get Your Leadership Team Aligned and Working Genius FAQ: 100 Questions Answered.

Work With Jonno White

If your leadership team needs a practical conversation about culture, alignment or how people work together, email jonno@consultclarity.org. Jonno White helps leaders build organisations people would move cities to work at.

About the Author

Jonno White is a Brisbane-based leadership consultant, keynote speaker and Certified Working Genius Facilitator, and the author of Step Up or Step Out. He works with schools, corporates and nonprofits around the world. To enquire about a keynote, workshop or facilitated leadership session, email jonno@consultclarity.org.