After more than five years as president of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Fay Twersky is planning to retire once her successor is on board.
Twersky’s tenure at the Blank Foundation, which began in February 2021, will be known for its dramatic increase in giving.
In 2020, the foundation awarded $67 million. In 2025, giving totaled $254 million.
Another comparison, in the first 25 years of the foundation’s existence, a total of $800 million (from 1995 to 2020) had been awarded.
“We are closing in on $2 billion,” said Twersky, when including anticipated giving in 2026. “It is really a dramatic increase. We take that responsibility seriously — stewarding these resources, making sure they’re all used well, and seeing the impact.”
In an exclusive interview, Twersky said her decision to retire was both professional and personal.
“I’ve been here a little over five years, and we have grown a lot in the last five years,” Twersky said. “We’ve built out our team. We have an incredible team. We have a really engaged, terrific board of family and non-family members. We have amazing nonprofit partners. I just feel our strategies are built out, our giving systems are built out, and we’re implementing against our strategies. It’s a good time for the next leader to step in. I feel like we’re in a good place.”
OOn the personal side, Twersky said she was cognizant that her wife, Jill Blair, will be turning 70 later this year.
“I wanted to spend more time with her,” Twersky said. “I’m blessed to be married to a woman I deeply love and want to spend time with, and there are things we want to do together. This is our chapter.”
Before joining the Blank Foundation, Twersky and Blair had not spent any time in Atlanta, having mostly lived and worked on the West Coast. But they quickly fell in love with the city.
“We’re staying in Atlanta,” said Twersky, adding that Atlanta will be their base as they plan to travel. “Jill and I came to Atlanta with open minds. This is our home, and we’re here with full hearts. We really have come to love it here. We’ve developed friendships here, we have roots here, and we want to stay here.”
Arthur Blank, the foundation’s namesake and founder, said Twersky had brought wisdom, compassion and a deep understanding of his family’s values as president.
“Fay has made an extraordinary impact on our foundation and on me personally,” Blank said in a statement. “Through her leadership, our foundation has grown stronger, our giving has grown deeper and our commitment to the communities we serve has never been clearer. Fay leads with both heart and purpose, and her influence will be felt for generations to come.”
The foundation will immediately begin a national search for its next president. The search committee will include the foundation’s board governance committee chair, Dena Kimball, and two other family directors, Kenny and Josh Blank. One of the foundation’s associate directors will also serve on the committee, along with Tim Goodly, the chief human resources officer of the Blank Family of Businesses. Currently, the associate directors include Rosalind Brewer, interim president of Spelman; Rich McKay, CEO of Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment, and Raphael Bostic, past president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
Twersky will serve as an advisor to the search committee during the process, which is expected to take six to 12 months.
“I’m going to stay until my successor arrives,” she said.
She believes the position will be attractive for the same reasons that drew her to Atlanta. Part of the job includes working with the Blank Family of Businesses and integrating philanthropic giving into the companies.
“The opportunities to work with the businesses are so unique. It was a very attractive opportunity to me for that reason, and I think it will be for others,” she said. “Coming to work for a very values-driven family, the chairman and family, was key. I think that will also be attractive to others.”
In the past several years, the Blank Foundation has focused its giving in several areas: democracy, mental health and well-being, Atlanta’s Westside, the environment, youth development and economic mobility. The foundation is also involved with Blank’s West Creek Ranch, a collaborative destination in Montana.
Twersky and Blair will undoubtedly continue attending the home games of the Atlanta Falcons, having become avid fans of the football team.
“Even though I will be concluding my chapter as president of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, I intend to stay involved here,” Twersky said. “We will continue to be involved in civic life and social life, and we’ll continue to contribute. That’s how we’re wired.”
Twersky also thanked Atlanta and the Blank family.
“We really, really love it here. It has been an incredible journey for me personally. It has been the opportunity of a lifetime,” Twersky said. “I’m just filled with gratitude to Arthur and to the family for this opportunity to help them grow the foundation for its next chapter of giving. I’m just incredibly proud of what we have built together.”
