BoardWalk Consulting Assists the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation in the Recruitment of New Leader
June 24, 2022 – Executive recruitment firm BoardWalk Consulting has assisted in the recruitment of Brittany Collins as the new executive director of the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation in Atlanta. She succeeds Jackie Stradley, who has led the organization since its inception. Ms. Collins’ appointment culminates a wide-ranging national search that reached about 200 potential candidates and referral sources. “Brittany is an accomplished, gifted leader with a track record of galvanizing individuals and groups to achieve extraordinary results,” said Ms. Stradley. “She is an excellent communicator and collaborator, who will lead the foundation in remaining proximate while influencing critical systems change. Brittany brings the grace, passion, and intellect to lead our organization.”
With the founding executive retiring, the board sought a thought leader able to inform and guide them on new and innovative ways to address systemic issues, while maintaining excellent operations and grant management. Ms. Collins is currently the founding director at Promise All Atlanta Children Thrive, where she has provided visionary and adaptive leadership to a newly formed collective impact initiative. She serves as an intermediary between funders and partners, and as the external spokesperson for the effort. Ms. Collins previously served as managing director of program at One Goal and was also a community development advisor at Purpose Built Communities. At Purpose Built, Ms. Collins brought together public, private, and community leaders to drive large-scale community revitalization. She began her career as an elementary school teacher with Teach For America.
Ms. Collins is known as a collaborative thought leader, dedicated to lifting communities in need via broad-based public and private partnerships. She has been instrumental in driving impact for families and communities in Atlanta and the Southeast region.
“It is a tremendous honor to join the revered leadership of the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation, and to continue driving their philanthropic efforts towards building more equitable systems across Georgia communities,” said Ms. Collins. “With my extensive experience focused on designing social impact strategies, I know that philanthropic support truly makes the difference. I have long respected the foundation’s value-driven approach to perennial issues, and I am eager to further our advancement in the field.”
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The mission of the foundation is “to honor Betty and Davis Fitzgerald by making a difference in the lives of others, primarily through education and healthcare opportunities in Atlanta and Georgia.” The foundation is nimble and responsive to the community’s urgent needs and its peer philanthropic partners. Its giving is centered in three areas: mental health, student success, and employment success. Funding is balanced between direct service and policy. Policy work focuses on moving upstream to address systemic issues.
Non-Profit Focused Recruiters
BoardWalk Consulting, based in Atlanta, is a national executive search firm that recruits CEOs and senior leadership for mission-driven non-profit organizations. Founded in 2002, the firm leads executive searches for clients from across the non-profit sector with global, national, regional, and local missions. Many of the firm’s team members have previously served as non-profit executives, grant makers, and board leaders. BoardWalk Consulting is also an active partner in Panorama, the global network of independent executive search firms.
BoardWalk Consulting was founded by Sam Pettway, a 30-year search veteran. Over his career in executive search, he has worked with hundreds of board members and leadership teams with entities ranging from start-ups to mature multinationals in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors. Since founding BoardWalk in 2002, Mr. Pettway has served clients as varied as international relief agencies, national foundations, regional trade associations and local agencies in dozens of markets.
“The consistent gift of this work is the opportunity we have every day to work with an incredibly diverse set of leaders, paid and volunteer, in support of their visions for a just and vibrant society,” said Mr. Pettway. “We are rarely subject-matter experts in the client’s own field, but we do have the adaptive expertise to help elevate their impact.”
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media