As Cobb County continues to address challenges related to housing, transportation, and overall affordability, Cobb Community Foundation has promoted Lisa-Ruth Karnes to Director of Programs and announced a new countywide data initiative aimed at strengthening how community decisions are made.
Karnes will serve in a senior leadership role overseeing the foundation’s grantmaking strategy, community partnerships, and evaluation efforts. She will also lead Cobb Vital Signs, a long-term research and collaboration initiative designed to identify community needs and align resources across sectors.
Foundation leaders said the promotion reflects the growing importance of Vital Signs and the need for a member of the leadership team to guide the work as it becomes a core part of the Foundation’s strategy.
Karnes brings experience in nonprofit program development, research, and community engagement, including organizational planning and research work with The Carter Center. In her new role, she will focus on connecting data, partnerships, and strategy to strengthen community impact throughout Cobb County.
The Vital Signs initiative is grounded in a growing body of national research showing that economic mobility and long-term outcomes are deeply shaped by local conditions—and that progress depends on how well communities understand and respond to those conditions. While many of the challenges facing families have long been recognized, foundation leaders say Vital Signs is intended to provide shared, place-based data that helps local organizations move from awareness to coordinated action and provide a framework to track long term changes and progress.
Cobb Vital Signs will produce publicly available, community-engaged research identifying needs, gaps, and opportunities across the county’s service infrastructure. Findings will be shared through reports, public presentations, and interactive tools such as heat maps, and paired with ongoing convenings and supportive resources to support collaboration and action.
The initiative is being developed in partnership with Kennesaw State University, Neighborhood Nexus, and a broad coalition of community stakeholders. Research cycles are expected every three to five years, with year-round alignment and coordination work.
Foundation leaders say Vital Signs is intended to be a practical resource for nonprofits, businesses, and local governments seeking shared insight into community conditions that affect quality of life and economic stability.
“Cobb Vital Signs gives our community shared data and a common understanding of where needs exist,” said Shari Martin, president and CEO of Cobb Community Foundation. “That shared foundation is essential if we want organizations across sectors working together effectively.”
Cobb Community Foundation manages approximately $39 million in charitable assets and works with donors, nonprofits, and community partners to support initiatives that improve quality of life in and around Cobb County.
More information is available at cobbfoundation.org/vital-signs.
About Cobb Community Foundation
Cobb Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to creating a thriving Cobb County through charitable contributions. By connecting donors with causes they care about, managing charitable funds, fueling community solutions, and equipping nonprofits with the resources they need to serve, CCF empowers individuals, businesses, and organizations to activate good—together. www.cobbfoundation.org
