From Left: Judge Marsha Lake, Darion Dunn, Shelia Manely, Sabre Linahan and Don Keller
Marietta, Ga. (January 24, 2020) — Cobb County State Court Judge Marsha Lake was on hand at the Center for Family Resources’ annual dinner on Tuesday, January 21, to administer the oath of office to four new board leaders and to swear in nine new members onto the nonprofit’s 2020 board of directors.
Officeholder appointments for 2020 are Darion Dunn (Atlantica Properties), chair; Shelia Manely (The Manely Firm, P.C.), chair-elect; Sabre Linahan (Smith & Howard), treasurer; and Don Keller (Blue Sky Exhibits, LLC), immediate past chair. New members inducted onto the 2020 board were John Brennan, M.D. (WellStar Health System); Craig Cupid (Baker & Hostetler LLP); Steven Ellis (Cobb County Solicitor General’s Office); John Fuchko III (University System of Georgia); Troy Harmon (Henssler Financial); Monique Jenkins (Junior League of Cobb-Marietta); Luke Mashburn (Atlanta United FC); Debbie Pike (Meritage Restaurant Group); and Tania Robinson (Prudential Advisors).
From Left: Judge Marsha Lake, Craig Cupid, John Fuchko III, Troy Harmon, Luke Mashburn, Debbie Pike, Tania Robinson and Monique Jenkins
Judge Lake thanked returning and new board members for their gifts of service to the community through their involvement on the Center for Family Resources’ board.
Don Keller, immediate past chair, remarked on the successes of the past year, including hiring a new CEO, Melanie Kagan, and the board’s decision to sell the Mansour Conference Center to better align the organization’s operational focus with its mission.
Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2020, the Center for Family Resources is focused this year on strategically updating how it achieves its mission to combat homelessness through self-sufficiency. Chair Darion Dunn urged a deeper understanding of the community’s unique needs by examining the root causes of homelessness in Cobb County.
To that end, Dunn challenged the board to:
- Develop and deepen community connections to ensure that aid, tools and support are delivered to citizens as if they were lifelong friends;
- Consider transformational rather than transactional approaches; and
- Lead efforts to bring community leaders to the table to address issues relating to housing insecurity and poverty.
Quoting author and activist Bryan Stevenson, Dunn reminded the group that “The opposite of poverty is not wealth. The opposite of poverty is justice.”
Receiving awards at the dinner for their service to the board and the Center for Family Resources were 2018 Board Chair Christal McNair, who received the Board Chairman’s Award and Mary Smith Judd, who received the Board Rookie of the Year Award.
About the Center for Family Resources
Since 1960, the Center for Family Resources has annually helped more than 10,000 low-income families with temporary financial and food assistance, housing, and employment and education services. By “empowering families to help themselves,” the staff at the Center for Family Resources is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty by helping families acquire the resources they need to become independent and self-sufficient.
