| Board of Directors | | Print | |
AAG Foundation Board of DirectorsDr. Walter Fuller Young - Chairman of the BoardDr. Young is a successful dentist, international businessman and community activist. A native of New Orleans, Walter graduated from Howard University Dental School. He returned to New Orleans, Louisiana and entered private practice with his father Dr. Andrew Young. After serving his country as a young naval officer, Walter remained in Italy to establish a dental clinic for orphans at the Casa Materna Orphanage in Naples, Italy. Dr. Young started the first Head Start Program under President Kennedy's administration that offered free dental care to underserved children in the State of Louisiana. He also worked with the Lepers Hospital in Carnville, Louisiana when other dentists refused to treat them. In 1969 he moved to Atlanta and opened a private dental practice.In addition to thriving professionally, Walter became intimately involved in the struggle for civil rights. He joined his brother Andrew Young, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King to be the Poor People's Dentist at Resurrection City. Dr. Joseph Lowery and Hosea Williams kept him involved as an integral part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Genuinely interested in helping develop the youth of Atlanta, Walter is a charter member of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta and has worked tirelessly with the Southwest YMCA where he received the Guardian Angel Award. Additional honors include the 2002 and 2003 Andrew & Walter Young Family YMCA "Volunteer of the Year" presented by the Metro YMCA. In 1979, Walter established Young International Development Corporation, an international consulting firm serving Africa, Japan, the Caribbean and United States. As President and CEO, Dr. Young assists many international companies seeking to do business in the U.S. Young serves on the board or as a member of numerous organizations including Villa International, the Georgia Board of Tourism and Trade, the City of Atlanta License and Review Committee, the United Youth Adult Council, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, the NAACP, the Urban League and Atlanta Quest. He also serves as Honorary Consul General of Liberia, West Africa. Walter and his wife Sonjia of 38 years, have four children Walton) Tony, Tammy, Tonya and Nikki and four grandchildren Marshall, Danielle, Jonathan and Trinity Valentina. Mr. Ray Lewis - Vice ChairmanRay Lewis is regarded as one of the best defenders in the NFL. His honors include two NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, eight Pro Bowls, and a Super Bowl MVP in 2000. As great as his efforts are on the field, they are just as astounding off of it. Ray founded the Ray Lewis 52 Foundation, a non-profit corporation whose mission is to provide personal and economic assistance to disadvantaged youth. Thefoundation has funded such events as adopting 10 families in Baltimore City community. Recently, Ray spent the off-season learning to speak Amharic to help facilitate his creation of a new, Sports for Life program in Ethiopia. Ray's efforts earned him the "Act of Kindness" Award in 2006 for his tireless work in the community. Ray is also a business man whose entrepreneurial spirit is exemplified in his operation of the Ray Lewis Full Moon Bar-B-Que in Baltimore, MD Ms. Christy Thomas - TreasurerChristy has 20+ years of extensive leadership experience in the Finance arena for both profit and non-profit entities. Her current role as Vice President of Finance for Mohawk Industries continues her work in finance, accounting and tax with an emphasis on strategic planning for the company. She has held similar roles at Home Depot, Equifax, and Ernst & Young in the Atlanta area. Christy is a graduate of Georgia State University (BBA in Accounting '86 and a Masters in Taxation '95) and is a Certified Public Accountant with active membership in the Georgia Society of CPA's.Christy's non-profit experience includes many years of volunteering in the community with the Chamber of Commerce, Equifax's Charitable Foundation and loaned executive program, and the Home Depot Velvet Hammer program promoting community involvement and workplace mentoring. She has also served on the board of directors for St. Jude Recovery Center and 7 Stages as part of her community involvement. Mr. Anthony Flynn - SecretaryAs a "Student of the Year" graduate (Bachelor in Business Administration) from the top sales program in the United States at The University of Memphis, Anthony was heavily recruited and/or employed by a number of Fortune 500 companies including Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola, Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds and 3M. After a stay in the corporate ranks, Anthony made the decision to devote his career to human capital development in the context of both the marketplace and non-profit world. For the past twelve years, Anthony has managed to assume high capacity roles in both the public and non-profit sectors that haveallowed him to maximize his strengths in character and leadership formation among other things. In his primary role, Anthony currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Urban Youth Workers Institute (UYWI), a national non-profit that builds and develops urban adult leaders in 20+ major metropolitan cities across the United States. Additionally, Anthony travels as a sought after inspirational speaker, professional consultant and facilitator who has contributed to the lives of thousands and thousands of people in a variety of contexts. Anthony has worked with a number of professional athletes, companies, non-profits, churches, schools and more. In his spare time, he enjoys being a husband to his beautiful wife Nikita and a father to his six year old son (Taji) and three year old daughter (Alaya). Anthony also enjoys reading, physical fitness and developing young leaders Mr. Reggie Howard - President / Executive Director, AAG Foundation |