Livable Buckhead Announces 2020-21 Board of Directors
Nonprofit assembles strong set of community, business leaders to guide organization
May 29, 2020 – ATLANTA – Livable Buckhead, a nonprofit organization focused on the long-term vitality and prosperity of Buckhead, has welcomed two new members to its board of directors. Annie Hirst of AMLI Residential and Thomas Givens of SecurAmerica join 14 experienced board members who will guide the nonprofit organization over the next 12 months.
“Annie and Thomas are great additions to the Livable Buckhead board,” said Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead. “We are happy to welcome them to the group, and grateful that they are willing to lend us their expertise.”
The Livable Buckhead board of directors includes highly experienced professionals with expertise in housing, commercial real estate, energy, government, finance, law, retail and hospitality. This mix of expertise reflects Livable Buckhead’s varied slate of projects and programs, all aimed toward the common goal of building a more sustainable, vibrant Buckhead.
Livable Buckhead was established in 2011 and immediately tasked with the implementation of the Buckhead Collection, a network of trails, parks and greenspaces throughout the community. LBI has spearheaded the creation of PATH400, a 5.2-mile trail running parallel to GA 400 through the heart of Buckhead. The organization has also spurred the adoption of sustainable practices across the community, creating the Buckhead Strategic Sustainability Action Plan which outlines implementation approaches in eight key areas.
“Our board of directors provides invaluable guidance for Livable Buckhead,” said Starling. “Our programs serve a diverse cross-section of Buckhead — businesses, property owners, workforce and residents – and the board includes experienced professionals who help us connect with each of those audiences. We are thankful for the time and effort that they contribute to our success.”
Livable Buckhead 2020-21 Board of Directors
Greg Chafee is a partner in the corporate transactions and securities practice and the energy group of Thompson Hine, Atlanta’s second-fastest growing law firm. Greg’s practice covers a wide range of domestic and international corporate, commercial, transactional, regulatory compliance and governance matters, with a focus on energy project development, clean technology, and sustainability programs, policies and initiatives. Greg has served as a Livable Buckhead board member and general counsel for three years.
Thomas Givens, chief operating officer of SecurAmerica, is responsible for all customer service, business development, operations, quality assurance, human resources and profit and loss functions for the SecurAmerica in the U.S. Thomas has been in the contract security industry for more than 20 years and has held multiple senior level management positions. In one of the positions held prior to SecurAmerica, he served as district vice president for Allied-Barton where he was responsible for operations management and customer service delivery of a large multi-vertical contract security operations including some of the following verticals: Logistics, Hospitality, Gated Communities, Distribution, High-rise Condos, Healthcare, Petroleum, Corporate Campuses and Signature High-profile Class A real estate within the Atlanta area.
Sandy Godwin (Treasurer) is the managing director for the Atlanta office of executive compensation consulting firm Pearl Meyer & Partners. He has worked with a wide variety of publicly traded and privately held companies in most major industries. He has also served on the board of the Buckhead Area Transportation Management Association for many years and is a founding board member of Livable Buckhead serving as the organization’s treasurer.
Howard W. Grant, Ph.D., is the vice president of Governmental & External Affairs for the Atlanta Housing Authority, responsible for leading stakeholder engagement and governmental and external affairs. Previously the executive director of the Atlanta Board of Education, he managed the strategic planning for the Board, who has the governance and oversight of the Atlanta Public School System. Dr. Grant is a scholar-practitioner of urban policy, environmental justice, and board governance.
Annie Hirst is vice president of development for AMLI Residential, where she is responsible for sourcing investment opportunities and managing development activities for multifamily projects in Atlanta. Prior to joining AMLI in early 2015, Hirst was one of the development leads for Jamestown on the largest adaptive reuse project in Atlanta’s history: restoring 2.1 million square feet of an historic Sears Roebuck & Company warehouse into Ponce City Market.
Simms Jenkins is the founder and CEO of BrightWave, the leading email, eCRM and cross-channel agency. The agency made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies for five consecutive years and was named the top email independent agency and “the best of the best” by The Relevancy Group. Jenkins won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association, Marketer of the Year from the American Marketing Association and the Email Marketer of the Year at the Tech Marketing Awards. He is the founder of EiQ: The intelligent email gathering, an annual conference focused on email performance and innovation, and the author of industry-defining books “The New Inbox” and “The Truth About Email Marketing.” Prior to founding BrightWave, Simms ran CRM at Cox Interactive Media.
Rebecca King (Chair of Membership Committee), a business owner and resident of Paramount Condominium, is the Buckhead Condo Alliance designee to the LBI Board. She established and is president of the firm, Cover Your Assets, a personal property documentation service. She serves on the board’s fundraising committee and is a liaison with the condominium residents in Buckhead. Ms. King has also served on the Old Ivy Park steering committee, a group convened by LBI to help define community goals for the park design and work with the City of Atlanta to develop a park design that meets those goals. Ms. King also serves on the boards of the Epilepsy Foundation-Georgia and the Atlanta Alumnae Panhellenic Association. She also served two terms as president of the Paramount Condominium Association Board of Directors.
Dan Knopp has 35 years of hospitality leadership experience, including the last 13 years with Hyatt Hotels. He currently holds the position of Hyatt Select Service Area Manager, based at Hyatt Place Buckhead, where responsibilities include day-to-day operations of the hotel as well as the oversight of three other Hyatt Place properties in the greater Atlanta market.
Paul Ribes joined Homrich Berg in 2013 as Chief Operating Officer. In this role, he was responsible for aligning employee engagement and team structure with the firm’s vision and strategy, as well as overseeing day-to-day operations, technology, administration, and major projects. Paul retired in 2020 and is now dedicating his time to community service. Previously, Paul was the director of financial planning and analysis for Invesco in Atlanta, leading a team of professionals who provided executive level financial planning, management reporting, and decision support for major global initiatives.
Svein Romstad is vice president of sales and leasing for The Loudermilk Companies, which he joined in 2014 after six years with Cannon Equities/Cannon Realty Group in a similar capacity. Prior to that, Mr. Romstad was with John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods as a Neighborhood Sales Manager. During that time, Mr. Romstad achieved a Lifetime Million Dollar Club member status and has been a licensed real estate agent in the state of Georgia since 1986. Prior to entering the field of commercial and residential real estate, Mr. Romstad was the Senior Group Manager for Meridian Management, the marketing agency for the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
David Skelton is president of Omega CM Services. Prior to this position, he was vice president of investments operations for Gables Residential. His responsibilities include overseeing the sustainable efforts for Gables development projects, reviewing monthly reporting to ensure accuracy and consistency, and coordinating special projects. Dave has been with the company for 25 years and prior to that worked for two general contractors in the commercial construction industry. He is actively involved with the Atlanta Apartment Association and also serves on the finance committee for Livable Buckhead.
Sally Silver serves as policy analyst to City Councilman Howard Shook and currently serves on development review committees for three special interest zoning districts in the Buckhead community. Silver is a neighborhood activist who served on Neighborhood Planning Unit-B (NPU-B) and other local associations for over 23 years. She is a long-time board member of the Buckhead Area Transportation Management Association (BATMA) as well as founding board member of Livable Buckhead. Silver and her husband, Herb, are owners of Sensible Wellness Physical Therapy in Buckhead.
Emily Sircy Leek (Chair of Commercial Property Managers Committee) is vice president of management services based out of Transwestern’s Atlanta office. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management and operations of office and mixed-use portfolios. With more than 15 years’ experience managing and leasing Class A office space, Emily is an expert at lease and contract management, budget and construction management, and investment functions such as financial modeling, project strategy and transactions, and ownership/lender interaction. She also has extensive knowledge of commercial office leasing, including marketing, lease negotiation, and lease financial analysis.
Bob Stoner (Chair) has more than 31 years of experience in commercial real estate specializing in the leasing and management of office buildings, business parks, and retail space prior to retiring. Most recently, Bob opened the office and served as regional vice president for Eola Capital. Bob was a member of the Buckhead Area Transportation Management Association for over a decade, serving as chairman for four years; a former board member of the Clean Air Campaign; a business representative on NPU-B, and is the founding chairman of Livable Buckhead, Inc.
Robin Suggs (Chair of Public Safety Committee) has 25 years of shopping center industry experience, the majority of which have been with Simon Property Group. She currently holds the position of area manager at Lenox Square with responsibilities including day-to-day operations of the shopping center as well as the oversight of Phipps Plaza. An Atlanta native and graduate of Georgia State, Robin resides in Morningside/Lenox Park with her family. In addition to being on the board of directors for Livable Buckhead, Robin has served as a member of the board of directors for the Buckhead Community Improvement District since 2012.
Amy C. Williams (Chair of Sustainability Committee) is vice president and associate general counsel for Cousins. She has served in this role since August 2012, and her scope of responsibilities includes orchestrating the leasing process, which includes leases, amendments, and other ancillary documentation, for 21 million square feet of office and mixed-use assets in Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, Phoenix and Tampa.
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About Livable Buckhead
Livable Buckhead is a nonprofit organization that strives to ensure the long-term viability and prosperity of the Buckhead community. The organization achieves its mission by working cooperatively with individuals, public entities and private businesses to integrate sustainable strategies. Livable Buckhead implements programs related to greenspace, recycling, energy efficiency, commute alternatives, arts and culture, real estate development and land use. For more information about Livable Buckhead and its programs, visit livablebuckhead.org.
