CEO Keith Parker Announces Diverse Board Leadership Slate to Advance Organization’s Mission of Putting People to Work

Today, Keith T. Parker, president and chief executive officer of Goodwill of North Georgia, announced the appointment of Goodwill of North Georgia’s board officers for fiscal year 2021.

“On behalf of Goodwill of North Georgia, I would like to welcome our new board officers,” said Parker. “Their diverse backgrounds and expertise will support and further our organization’s goal to be the number one workforce development resource for our neighbors. I look forward to working with our officers to put even more North Georgians to work.”

Kirk Halpern, founder and chief executive officer of Farmers & Fisherman Purveyors, will serve as the chair of the board. Halpern joined the board of directors for Goodwill of North Georgia in 2013 and has served the last two years as vice chair of the board. Halpern has 30 years of experience in leading operations and strategic decision-making for food service businesses. He graduated from Duke University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate.

Dr. Kofi Smith will serve as vice chair. As the president and chief executive officer of the Atlanta Airlines Terminal Company, Dr. Smith manages an operational and capital budget of $170 million annually and approximately 7.2 million square feet of facility operations. Dr. Smith received his Doctorate in Business Administration from the J. Mack Robinson School of Business at Georgia State University.

Mark Hoffman, president and chief executive officer of Lanier Asset Management, LLC, will serve as the treasurer of the board. Hoffman has years of robust experience in new business development, strategy, operations, sales/service, organizational effectiveness and post-merger integration. Hoffman received his master’s in business administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.

Aubrey Harrell will serve as secretary. Harrell is an audit partner at KPMG and has over 30 years of experience in various industries including real estate, restaurants, alternative investments and sports teams. Harrell heads the middle market practice for the Atlanta office, focusing on providing services to middle market and private equity backed companies. Harrell received his Bachelor of Science in accounting from Clemson University.

Janine Bowen is the immediate past chair. Bowen is entering her seventh year of service on Goodwill of North’s Georgia’s board of directors. She previously served as vice chair and sat on various committees including the capital campaign committee and the board development committee. As a partner at BakerHostetler, LLP, Bowen co-leads the Privacy Governance and Technology Transactions and the Digital Transformation and Data Economy teams in the Digital Assets and Date Management Group. Bowen received her Juris Doctorate from Georgia State University’s College of Law. She also received her Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Clemson University.

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About Goodwill of North Georgia

The mission of Goodwill of North Georgia is to put people to work. The nonprofit has provided services in the region for more than 90 years. In fiscal year 2020, Goodwill of North Georgia provided job training and employment services to 46,697 people and helped 25,019 people find jobs or start new businesses. The organization currently operates 67 stores, 53 attended donation centers and 13 career centers. Revenues generated from Goodwill’s retail program help fund job training and placement programs. For more information about Goodwill of North Georgia, visit GoodwillNG.org.