Atlanta’s mental health and family services nonprofit named Cati Diamond Stone as the successor to Kathy Colbenson’s 37-year tenure as the President and CEO of CHRIS 180.
Stone will start the position Oct. 7, 2024, kicking off a new chapter for the influential area nonprofit. She comes from Susan G. Komen, the world’s largest breast cancer organization, where she served as the Vice President of Community Health. She also served as the Komen Greater Atlanta CEO — giving her roots in the city’s nonprofit sector.
“As the demand for mental health services continues to increase, the work of CHRIS
180 is more important than ever,” CHRIS 180 Board of Directors chair Jay Bernath said.
“The Board is excited to welcome Cati to the role of CEO — she is the ideal choice to lead our organization forward as we continue to innovate and deepen our impact for Atlanta’s children, youth, adults and families.”
The search for CHRIS 180’s new CEO kicked off officially in March, when Boardwalk Consulting was tasked with creating a search committee to hire a new organizational leader. But search committee chair Julia Houson said it had been discussed for longer.
In 2024, Kathy Colbenson announced her retirement after decades of work building CHRIS 180 into an influential Atlanta nonprofit. She didn’t begin the nonprofit, but she joined CHRIS 180 in its fledgling stages — 1987, only six years after its founding as Georgia CHARLEE, or Children Have All Rights — Legal, Educational, Emotional.
The young nonprofit had a $402,000 budget and served fewer than 50 children a year, but it transformed under Colbenson’s leadership.
CHRIS 180 expanded and moved into early intervention to prevent homelessness and incarceration. It also advocated to accept and support gay children and promoted family reunification services.
Today the nonprofit has an annual budget of more than $30 million and serves between 14,000 and 18,000 people a year through programs like counseling, foster care, violence reduction initiatives, and housing for young adults transitioning out of foster care.
But Colbenson had been considering retirement for years. Then, she experienced unexpected loss with the death of her husband in 2022 and the death of her daughter in 2023. The CEO told SaportaReport in April that she was on her own “journey of healing” after working to heal others.
CHRIS 180 rallied around Colbenson to celebrate her legacy with events like the CHRIStal ball in August of this year, where Delta’s Vice President of community engagement Tad Hutcheson announced a $100,000 donation in Colbenson’s honor.
“I am very proud of the accomplishments and impact of CHRIS 180 and know that the organization is in great hands to lead it into the future,” Colbenson said. “Cati’s community-focused leadership, her passion for children, youth and families and her commitment to increasing access to care make her the right choice to continue our legacy.”
But when Colbenson first announced her retirement there was not yet a successor. The move placed Julia Houston, former board chair and current Equifax chief strategy and marketing officer in charge of the search. First, a committee of former and current board heads would create a leadership profile of criteria for possible candidates.
The committee talked to board members, employees, community stakeholders and partner organizations to figure out the key needs: somebody who could build on legacy, communicate and collaborate for the organization’s future.
“Ultimately, our search was about finding someone who had a connection with and heart for the mission, with the experience and skills to manage an enterprise of this size and scale,” Houston said. “Importantly, we were looking for someone who would both honor the legacy of CHRIS 180 and have the strategic vision to build upon that legacy to carry the organization into the future.”
Cati Diamond Stone stood out for a few reasons: As the vice president of community health at Susan G. Komen, Stone created a new national community health strategy that created direct patient support programs for over 200,000 people. She also had experience with a trauma-informed model and operational discipline throughout more than 11 years at the organization.
Before working in the nonprofit sector, Stone was also an attorney with positions at Nash Finch Company and Unisource Worldwide Inc. She had the experience, and Houston said she had an “infectious energy” and vital communication skills.
“We saw her background as having the right diversity and breadth of experience to lead CHRIS 180 at this time,” Houston said.
CHRIS 180 leaders emphasized Stone is coming in at a key moment — Incoming Board Chair Lori Chennault said Meto Atlanta’s need for mental health and wraparound services is “more critical than ever,” and Cati understands the nonprofit’s part in that.
“We are fortunate to have this impactful, service-driven leader join CHRIS 180 and I look forward to working closely with Cati as we continue to innovate and deepen our impact,” Chennault said.
As the search committee chair, Houston said there’s excitement about officially bringing Stone on, but CHRIS 180 members like Chennault are sure to honor Colbenson’s vision and dedication across four decades and the “lasting impact” she’ll have on the community. It’s a sentiment Stone echoed in her public statement about taking the reins at CHRIS 180.
“CHRIS 180 has spent more than four decades healing children, strengthening families, and building communities. The organization provides vital services throughout Metro Atlanta and serves as a national model for accessible mental health services and trauma-informed care,” Stone said. “I am honored to lead CHRIS 180 into the next stage of its evolution and to continue the powerful work that Kathy Colbenson began.”
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