June 29, 2023, Savannah, GA – The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) has announced that Kevin Blair, (Columbus), Stephanie Blank (Atlanta), and Kimberly Greene (Atlanta), have been elected to serve as members of the GHS Board of Curators. The new leadership was elected at the 184th Annual Meeting of the Board of Curators held in Savannah.
Board Chair Shan Cooper, CEO of Journey Forward Strategies, LLC, presided over the Annual Meeting, held in the Georgia Historical Society’s Jepson House Education Center.
“The level of influence and visibility enjoyed by any non-profit institution is directly tied to the quality and reputation of its board,” said Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society. “These outstanding new members further strengthen our leadership team, allowing us to fulfill our teaching and research mission and enhance our reputation as the trusted source for history in this state.”
Kevin Blair is the President, Chairman, and CEO of Synovus, a financial services company based in Columbus, Georgia. Blair joined Synovus in August 2016 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He was appointed Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in December 2018 and was named President in December 2019. Blair was elected to the Board of Directors in December 2020 and became President and CEO on April 22, 2021. He was appointed Chairman of the Board on January 1, 2023. Blair’s financial services career began at Signet Bank in Richmond, Virginia, in 1995 and includes leadership in such areas as corporate strategy, line management, strategic finance, and credit risk management.
In addition to the GHS Board of Curators, Blair serves on various other boards, including the Georgia Research Alliance, Columbus Chamber of Commerce, Metro Atlanta Chamber, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, and the United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley.
Stephanie Blank is a longtime advocate for children’s issues in Georgia. She is the founding chair of the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students and co-founder of Mothers and Others for Clean Air. She has chaired Governor Nathan Deal’s Commission on Child Welfare Reform, served on First Lady Sandra Deal’s Children’s Cabinet, served on Governor Deal’s Child Mental Health Commission, and is currently a member of First Lady Marty Kemp’s GRACE commission (Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion, and Education) fighting human trafficking.
Blank just completed a term as president of the Atlanta Rotary Club. She served as the chair of the capital campaign to build the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, as past Trustee chair for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, and on Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s transition team following his first election. She also spent 17 years as a trustee of the A.M. Blank Family Foundation. She currently serves as president of her own foundation.
Kimberly Greene is the chairman, president, and chief executive office of Georgia Power, the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the nation’s leading energy providers. Prior to her current position, Greene served for five years as chairman, president, and CEO of Southern Company Gas. Greene’s 32-year career in energy began in 1991 when she joined Southern Company as an engineer designing equipment for fossil and nuclear power generation stations. She has held executive roles for Southern Company and its subsidiaries as well as the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), including chief executive officer for Georgia Power and Southern Company Gas; chief operating officer for Southern Company; president of Southern Company Services; chief generation officer for TVA; group president, Strategy and External Relations, TVA; and chief financial officer for TVA.
Greene currently serves on the board of directors for Valero Energy Corporation and Metro Atlanta Chamber and on the board of trustees for the Georgia Research Alliance and Morehouse School of Medicine. Greene is also a member of the Atlanta Rotary Club.
The new GHS Board of Curators will begin serving on July 1, 2023.
The three join fellow Curators Shan Cooper, Chair, Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO, David P. Abney, Vice-Chair, Clyde C. Tuggle, Treasurer, H. Jerome Russell, Jr., Secretary, Frank S. Blake, James H. Blanchard (ex-officio), Ellen B. Bolch, Mark Burns, Dan T. Cathy, Reed Dulany III, Venessa Harrison, Jeff Kole, John F. McMullan (ex-officio), Dr. William T. Moore (ex-officio), Sam Nunn (honorary), Beatriz R. Perez, Kessel D. Stelling, Jr., and Larry D. Thompson.
Departing from the Board of Curators are W. Paul Bowers (Atlanta), John Morgan (Atlanta), and Christopher Womack (Atlanta), who were honored at the Annual Meeting for their contributions and many years of service to the Georgia Historical Society.
For more information on the Board of Curators of the Georgia Historical Society please contact Keith Strigaro at 912-651-2125, ext. 153 or by email at kstrigaro@georgiahistory.com.
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ABOUT THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation.
To learn more visit georgiahistory.com.