CIVIC LEADERS
Leona Barr-Davenport
President and CEO
Atlanta Business League
Leona Barr-Davenport is president and CEO of the Atlanta Business League, Atlanta’s oldest minority business development and advocacy organization. As president, she works with the board of directors to increase access to business opportunities for minorities, with specific emphasis on the development of businesses owned or operated by African Americans. Barr-Davenport has more than 25 years of experience in customer service, program development, organizational management, and fundraising for associations and youth-oriented programs.
Education: Benedict College, Clark Atlanta University School of Business (MBA)
Hometown: Johnsonville, South Carolina
Notable achievements: Atlanta Hospitality Hall of Fame (2019), Carver College honorary doctor of divinity (2014)
Lesson learned: The first step is showing up.
Bucket list: Tour of Africa and becoming an adjunct professor
Who’d play me in a biopic: Angela Bassett
Chris Clark
President and CEO
Georgia Chamber of Commerce
Chris Clark is the longest-serving president and CEO in the century-plus history of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. Previously he served as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and as deputy commissioner for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. A graduate of Leadership Georgia, Clark has frequently been named one of Georgia Trend’s 100 most influential Georgians and one of the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s most influential Atlantans.
Education: Georgia Southern University, Georgia College & State University (MA)
Few people know: I’m a huge, massive Parrothead. I’ve seen Jimmy Buffett over 25 times.
Favorite book: The Old Man and the Boy by Robert Ruark
Favorite travel destination: Montana
What I’d tell my 18-year-old self: You’re lucky they hadn’t invented camera phones yet! Real lucky!
Bucket list: Fly-fishing in New Zealand
Who’d play me in a biopic: A young Michael J. Fox
Shan Cooper
Executive Director
Atlanta Committee for Progress
Shan Cooper is the executive director for the Atlanta Committee for Progress, which was founded in 2003 to provide leadership on economic growth and inclusion for all Atlantans, and which includes more than 40 chief executives, university presidents, and civic leaders. Previously, Cooper was chief transformation officer of the packaging company WestRock, responsible for recycling and waste services, procurement, enterprise logistics, and...