Alliance Congratulates Chair-Elect and New Board of Directors Members
After 14 years of board service and committee leadership, Jocelyn Hunter unanimously confirmed as chair-elect. Term begins June 1, 2021.
Hunter Becomes the First Person of Color Elected to Chair any Board of Directors at The Woodruff Arts Center
The Alliance Theatre is pleased to announce that Jocelyn Hunter has been chosen as the new Chair of its Board of Directors. She is the current Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, is a member of the Governance and Executive Committees, and has served on the Alliance Theatre Board of Directors since 2006. As Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Home Depot, Hunter brings a wealth of leadership and legal experience to her role as Alliance Board Chair.
In addition to her deep support and involvement with the Alliance, Hunter’s long history of volunteerism and leadership has benefited numerous organizations and causes in the Atlanta community. Additional volunteer positions include serving on the Advisory Board for the Duke Law Center for Judicial Studies, as a fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, and as a member of the Board of Visitors of Duke Law School, where she is co-chair of the Future of the Profession task force. Hunter also serves as the Board Chair for the Atlanta History Center. In 2013, Hunter had the prestigious honor of receiving the Georgia Multicultural Leadership Award.
In her capacity as board chair, Hunter will help lead the Alliance through two seasons of recovery and growth post-COVID, which will see an ever-bolder effort by the 100 staff members of the theater to carry out their mission of expanding hearts and minds onstage and off.
Hunter succeeds the current Chair, Lila Hertz. Under Hertz's leadership, the Alliance successfully completed its first season on the brand-new Coca-Cola Stage, welcoming tens of thousands of new and returning patrons to this beautiful, state-of-the-art venue. The Alliance also expanded its education and in-school partnerships focused on literacy, learning, and imagination to more than 90,000 annual participants, as well as codified and launched anti-bias and allyship training programs for corporate and non-profit clients through its Alliance@work corporate training department. With Hertz's long-standing, deep, and thoughtful leadership, the Alliance will also finish a successful strategic planning phase in December 2020 which will see the theater reach for growth and expanded mission from 2021-2025.
“We have been tremendously fortunate in having had a streak of fiercely smart and deeply passionate board leaders, and I’m delighted to see that trend continuing,” said Susan V. Booth, Jennings Hertz Artistic Director of Alliance Theatre. “Lila Hertz has been – and continues to be – a consummate example of a tireless and inspiring leader who is ready, willing, and able to spend her phenomenal social capital on behalf of the Alliance. That we get to follow that with Jocelyn Hunter’s leadership is truly a gift that builds strength on strength. Jocelyn has a brilliant strategic mind and has long been a driving voice both within and on behalf of the Alliance. I so look forward to these next years of her thought partnership and guidance as the theatre moves ever upward and onward.”
The Board of Directors also added six new members in 2020. They are:
Alba C. Baylin
Vice President, Community & Stakeholder Relations, The Coca-Cola Company
Alba leads community engagement, stakeholder relations, strategic philanthropy, employee volunteerism, disaster relief, community board placements and the 5by20 women’s empowerment initiative for The Coca-Cola Company North America Operating Unit. Joining Coca-Cola in 1999 after ten years in the hospitality industry, Alba fulfilled roles of increasing responsibility in Worldwide Public Affairs and Communications, Strategic Partnership Marketing, and Customer & Commercial Leadership. She is a strong advocate for community service and serves on the board of the Georgia State University Foundation and Junior Achievement of Georgia.
Joe Crowley
Global Head of Learning, BlackRock
As Head of HR for the Atlanta Innovation Hub & Global Head of Learning for BlackRock, Joe is responsible for deepening a culture of learning around the globe while building BlackRock’s learning headquarters here in Atlanta. He is also leading the establishment and innovation of BlackRock’s culture locally and driving the firm's talent and diversity strategy for employees in Atlanta. In addition to Joe's HR roles, he is a founding member and former regional co-chair of the Asia Pacific OUT & Allies Network, BlackRock’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group, and was co-Chair of BlackRock GIVES San Francisco, BlackRock’s philanthropic employee engagement network.
Alison Danaceau
Cousel, Avolin, Inc.
Alison manages trademark portfolio and litigation matters, negotiates technology license agreements and vendor agreements, and manages outside counsel as well as mentor in-house counsel. Alison is an established leader, having served on the board for a variety of organizations, including the board of the Association of Corporate Counsel - Georgia Chapter, the Georgia Bar Association Intellectual Property Section, the Atlanta Bar Association Corporate Counsel Section, and the Atlanta Ballet.
Carrie J. Kurlander
Vice President, External Communications, Chick-fil-A
Carrie Kurlander is Vice President of Public Relations and Public Affairs for Chick-fil-A, Inc. She joined the company in 2013 after serving as chief communications officer at Southern Company. She also sits on the Board of Directors for The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and serves on the governance committee. Carrie is a member of the International Women’s Fund, Leadership Atlanta and Arthur Page Society. She was named “Dream Keeper Corporate Executive of the Year” by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
Shareka Nelson
Diversity and Inclusion Leader
Shareka is responsible for collaborating across organizations on the creation and execution of company-wide Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategies. With over twenty years of experience in human resources, specifically talent, culture and diversity and inclusion strategy, Shareka is a seasoned global leader with a unique ability to translate business goals into people strategy. Her former role as Head of DE&I at MailChimp included providing consultative insights to executive leaders and the business through data, developing innovative talent attraction solutions and engagement/retention initiatives for employees. Prior to Mailchimp, Shareka held leadership diversity and inclusion roles with Facebook and Groupon. A sought after panelist and keynote speaker, she also serves as a principle with Intentional Impact Group, LLC focused on providing consultative leadership coaching, talent strategy training and DE&I strategy development to clients.
Robyn Roberts
Consultant, RSR Consulting, LLC
Robyn is an independent business and non-profit consultant who develops strategies in line with environmental and social goals. Robyn developed the E3 Environmental Business Awards for the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and consulted on their Sustainable Economic Growth Initiative. Robyn serves on the Tocqueville Women’s Leadership Cabinet of the United Way of Greater Atlanta, and chaired a successful state-wide campaign in 2016 dedicated to passing a Georgia state constitutional amendment establishing a fund to aid child victims of sex trafficking.
To see our full Board of Directors listing and learn more about Board leadership, visit alliancetheatre.org/board
