In October 2012, Crystal Stephens was looking to lead an Atlanta nonprofit. A friend told her to visit with Sam Pettway, the founding director of BoardWalk Consulting, an Atlanta-based search firm specializing in the nonprofit sector.
It didn’t take long for Pettway to ask Stephens if she would consider working for BoardWalk. Stephens had spent more than 17 years at IBM, and she also had worked for a corporate search firm. After five years raising her son, she was ready to get back in the workforce.
Stephens joined BoardWalk in February 2013. Later she became the firm’s managing director before being named CEO in October 2025.
“She’s in her first year as CEO, and we are having our best year ever,” Pettway said with pride.
BoardWalk has been a key part of Atlanta’s civic fabric since its inception. Today, it is conducting the searches for the next CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, the next CEO of Downtown Atlanta (formerly Central Atlanta Progress), the CEO of the Atlanta Ballet and the first director of the City of Atlanta’s Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative.
Courtney English, chief of staff for the City of Atlanta, called Pettway the “undisputed super connector of people and passion” in Atlanta.
“Sam has identified leaders who have propelled some of Atlanta’s most important entities into the future,” said English, who also lavished praise on Stephens. “Crystal is one of the brightest, most passionate and competent executives in the city who cares deeply about Atlanta. The legacy of BoardWalk is safe under her leadership.”
Pettway and Stephens, who would not reveal any inside info about any of the searches they’re working on, spoke of the leadership transition underway at BoardWalk. Pettway, 79, said he is not planning to accept any new searches, but he will continue to work at BoardWalk, providing any help he can to the team.
“There’s a ton of value in Sam,” Stephens said. “We honor that. We learn from each other, and we all still learn from Sam.”
Given their unique insights of leadership, both Pettway and Stephens have seen successions that worked and those that did not.
During an interview, Pettway and Stephens had clearly built a strong relationship based on mutual respect and common values.
“I look forward to seeing her,” Pettway said simply.
For Stephens, the secret is the firm’s culture of “high collaboration” that understands its mission of finding leaders that matter for missions that matter.
Although BoardWalk’s base is Atlanta, it has conducted searches in 37 states as well as some international work.
One of the most interesting clients was Eric Clapton, known more as a rock and roll songwriter and lead guitarist than as someone who founded treatment centers for drug and addiction.
“Eric had started a treatment center in Antigua, and he wanted to do a search for an executive,” said Pettway, adding they found a connection. “I’m in recovery, and he’s in recovery.”
Pettway, who admittedly is not part of the rock-and-roll world, so he wasn’t star struck. He got to meet with Clapton three or four times, including in New York, Antigua and London.
“I’m so much richer as a human being because of this work,” said Pettway, who doesn’t regret starting BoardWalk 24 years ago, leaving a lucrative career doing searches for corporate clients.
When he came up with the idea for BoardWalk, he floated it by Alicia Philipp, then-CEO of Atlanta’s Community Foundation.
“She said: ‘Please do it. The sector needs what you would bring to it. Just don’t plan to make any money,’” Pettway recalled. “Now, 24 years into it, it’s exceeded all my expectations. It became a calling. Without any hesitation, I can say I found my voice with this work.”
Over the years, BoardWalk has conducted searches for the Carter Center, Habitat for Humanity International, WABE, Southface, CHRIS 180, the YWCA of Greater Atlanta, Goodwill of North Georgia, and the Piedmont Park Conservancy, to name a few. One of its most recent searches was finding the new executive director of the Atlanta Land Trust – David Ogunsanya.
“In Atlanta, we are so blessed to have a deep bench of talent in our nonprofits and philanthropic organizations, both volunteer and paid,” Pettway said.
BoardWalk also has worked collaboratively with other firms to help find people to be part of the last four mayoral administrations. Pettway is especially proud of working with Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin to recruit her police chief and help launch the Atlanta Police Foundation.
Another of Pettway’s claims to fame is that he completed 20 marathons – the first being four months before he turned 50. The last one was the Boston Marathon – “the pinnacle” – which he ran in 2018 when he was 71. That’s when “my knees declared victory,” Pettway said.
But what Pettway has enjoyed the most about BoardWalk is that his “learning curve has stayed vertical for 24 years.” He said BoardWalk doesn’t place people; it recruits people.
“We tend to meet people at the top of their game. We get a little spoiled at what we do,” Pettway said. “We are blessed to have an opportunity to get involved with organizations that define what makes Atlanta special.”
Stephens said it’s all about having an “inquisitive nature,” and finding people who can “solve real-world problems” in Atlanta and beyond.
For Stephens, her job is clear: “I want to set us up so we can have a 50th anniversary.”
