(L-R) Dr. W. Todd Groce, Dan Amos, and Donna Hyland
(L-R) Dr. W. Todd Groce, Donna Hyland, US Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock
(L-R) Dr. W. Todd Groce, Dan Amos, and US Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock
April 24, 2023, Savannah, GA – To commemorate the 290th anniversary of the founding of Georgia, the Georgia Historical Society and US Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock inducted Dan Amos, Chairman and CEO of Aflac Incorporated, and Donna Hyland, President and CEO of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, as modern-day Georgia Trustees at the Georgia Historical Society’s Trustees Gala in Savannah. It is the highest honor the State of Georgia can confer.
The induction took place this past Saturday, April 22, during the Trustees Gala in Savannah.
“Tonight, we honor two outstanding Georgians, Donna Hyland and Dan Amos,” said Dr. W. Todd Groce, president and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society. “Through their service, leadership, and accomplishments, they represent the founding principle of the original Trustees: Non Sibi, Sed Aliis, which means ‘Not for self, but for others.’”
“They truly embody the best of Georgia, and I'm thrilled to be among those who are paying tribute to them," said Senator Warnock. "Congratulations on this well-earned recognition, and we look forward to seeing your continued successes.”
The annual Trustees Gala is the Georgia Historical Society’s premier annual event and the culmination of the Georgia History Festival. Each year, this elegant and much-anticipated evening draws top local, state, and national leaders to honor and pay tribute to the best the State of Georgia has produced.
In conjunction with the Office of the Governor, the Georgia Historical Society reestablished the Georgia Trustees in 2008 as a way of recognizing Georgians whose accomplishments and community service reflect the highest ideals of the original Trustees, a governing body chartered and appointed by His Majesty King George II of England in 1732 to establish a new colony in North America.
Previous inductees are Dan Cathy, Shirley Franklin, David Abney, Juanita Baranco, Robert L. Brown, Jr., Robert S. Jepson, Jr., Frank Blake, John Schuerholz, Edward H. Bastian, W. Paul Bowers, F. Duane Ackerman, A.D. “Pete” Correll, James H. Blanchard, Muhtar Kent, Alana Smith Shepherd, Paula S. Wallace, Arthur M. Blank, William Porter “Billy” Payne, Truett Cathy, Herman Russell, Tom Cousins, Andrew Young, Vincent J. Dooley, The Honorable Sam Nunn, Henry “Hank” Aaron, Robert Edward “Ted” Turner, Bernard Marcus, and Marguerite Neel Williams.
Dan Amos became chief executive officer of Aflac Incorporated in 1990 and is the second longest-serving CEO in the Fortune 200 behind Warren Buffett. In January 2000, Amos launched the popular Aflac Duck advertising campaign, transforming Aflac from a successful supplemental insurance company to a top international brand recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies for 22 years. His commitment to ethical business practices has led the Ethisphere Institute to recognize Aflac Incorporated as a World’s Most Ethical Company for seventeen consecutive years, making Aflac the only insurance company in the world to appear on this list every year since the inception of the award in 2007. Amos has also appeared five times on Institutional Investor magazine’s lists of America’s Best CEOs for the insurance category, and he has been recognized as one of the 100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World by the Harvard Business Review five times. His innovative leadership style has led to astounding annual revenue growth from $2.7 billion in 1990 to $19.5 billion in 2022.
In 1995, Amos and his wife, Kathelen, were inspired to spearhead Aflac’s decades-long commitment to helping families of children diagnosed with cancer. The company and its independent sales associates have contributed more than $165 million to this cause, including funding for the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, which has become a leading childhood cancer facility in the United States by U.S. News and World Report. In Japan, through the Aflac Parents House, Aflac has also helped more than 140,000 children and their families who are facing cancer and other diseases.
For 32 years, Donna Hyland has helped shape the delivery of healthcare to children in Georgia and beyond. First as Chief Financial Officer, then Chief Operating Officer, and now as President and Chief Executive Officer, Hyland has overseen monumental growth and achievement at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She was instrumental during the merger of Egleston Children’s Health Care System and Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Center, as well as the addition of Hughes Spalding and Marcus Autism Center, which led to the formation of what is now one of the largest pediatric healthcare systems in the country. Today, Children’s is consistently ranked as a top pediatric hospital by U.S. News & World Report and one of Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.”
Hyland’s dedication to pediatric healthcare has resulted in recognition as one of Atlanta’s and Georgia’s most influential leaders.
Her dedication to the community extends outside of Children’s, where she serves on the boards of Atlanta Committee for Progress Inc., Cousins Properties Incorporated, Genuine Parts Company, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, Truist Atlanta Advisory Board, and Stone Mountain Industrial Park, Inc.
For more information on the induction of Dan Amos and Donna Hyland as Georgia Trustees, contact Keith Strigaro, Director of Communications, 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.