One of metro Atlanta’s biggest philanthropic heavyweights is officially in transition. The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta says President and CEO Frank Fernandez will step down in August, and the board has hired a local firm to run a national search for the next leader. Fernandez, who took the helm in 2020, has told stakeholders he will stay fully engaged in the role through his final day, setting the stage for an orderly handoff at the influential grantmaker.
As reported by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the foundation has tapped Atlanta-based BoardWalk Consulting to lead a nationwide CEO search. BoardWalk Consulting describes itself as a national executive search firm focused on recruiting CEOs and senior leaders for nonprofits and foundations.
Fernandez to depart in August
Fernandez announced his exit in a July 8 message on the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta website, writing that he has accepted “a new professional role that will take me beyond Atlanta” and that “an experienced interim leader will be in place before my departure.”
In that same note, the foundation highlighted several marquee efforts on his watch. It pointed to a $200 million affordable-housing commitment launched under Fernandez and noted that the organization invested more than $250 million in grants and impact investments last year. Local reporting has also underscored the size of the housing push, saying the foundation “opened $235 million floodgate” for affordable housing in recent coverage.
Why the foundation chose BoardWalk
BoardWalk has an extensive track record placing leaders at foundations and nonprofits and previously developed a leadership profile for the Community Foundation during its last CEO transition, with that profile and related materials available on the firm’s site. Coverage from Hunt Scanlon notes that BoardWalk typically kicks off searches with listening tours and stakeholder interviews to shape a leadership profile and build a candidate slate, a process designed to surface leaders who fit both the mission and the moment.
What’s next
The foundation says Fernandez will continue as president and CEO through his final day in August and that the board expects to have an experienced interim leader in place before he departs. BoardWalk will now handle outreach and candidate vetting in a national search for the permanent successor. The Community Foundation has not yet shared a public timeline for when it expects to name the new CEO.
