Kathy Waller has emerged as one of Atlanta’s most influential leaders. But it’s easy to overlook her many contributions because she’s too busy shining the light on others.
Waller is the fourth executive director of the Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP), a powerful group of 40 of the region’s key business, civic and academic leaders, who work with mayor of the City of Atlanta.
On Friday, Oct. 16, Waller had a conversation with John Ahmann, president and CEO of the Westside Future Fund, who was the first executive director of ACP when Shirley Franklin was mayor.
“I am a native of Atlanta, which is very important to me,” Waller told people attending the monthly meeting of the Transform Westside Summit at the Gathering Spot. “I went to Frederick Douglass High School.”
Then she left Georgia to go to college in Rochester, N.Y., where she got her bachelor’s and an MBA. She joined the accounting firm of Deloitte and eventually moved back to Atlanta. Six months later, she joined the Coca-Cola Co. in “an entry-level position.” She worked her way up to becoming the company’s chief financial officer, traveling all over the world. But Waller realized she really didn’t know much about Atlanta.
“I went on this kind of learning journey to learn about Atlanta,” said Waller, who was accepted to be in Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2022.
“I learned that I had lived in a bubble,” Waller said. “I thought I knew Atlanta, but I learned that I, like (many) of the folks over at Coca-Cola, live in a beautiful bubble.”
Waller had retired from the Coca-Cola in 2019 after more than 30 years with the company. She was approached to be ACP’s executive director, but she initially was reluctant to go back to work.
“I realized I had to get out my bubble, and I had to do something because Atlanta was important to me,” Waller said. “So, I took this job, which is a has been an opportunity, a wonderful opportunity…to get to know more about the city and to work on the problems the city has in support of this great mayor.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens called Waller “an extraordinary leader and a true Atlanta success story” who has never forgotten where she’s come from.
“Whether she’s building housing for our firefighters, leading some of our strongest non-profit institutions, or helping drive the fundraising effort behind our $5 billion Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative, Kathy doesn’t just lend her name to a cause,” Dickens said. “She rolls up her sleeves and gets the work done.”
A common theme emerged in several conversations about Waller.
“She is everywhere. I don’t know how she does it,” said Tad Hutcheson, managing director of Community Engagement at Delta Air Lines and the key executives at the airline’s foundation. “She gives to so many different causes. There are the things that are seen. There are a lot of things that are unseen. She does so much behind the scenes that most people will never see, but she has Atlanta’s best interest at heart.”
The list is long of initiatives where she’s played important roles. She is chair of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, after serving as its past president. She is chair of the Woodruff Arts Center; and she is vice chair of United Way of Greater Atlanta. She also serves on the board of Delta Airlines.
Waller has worked with Christian City, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, Atlanta Fire & Rescue Foundation, Westside Future Fund, the Giving Kitchen, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, Atlanta History Center, WABE, among others.
“She does so much behind the scenes that most people will never see, but she has Atlanta’s best interest at heart,” Hutcheson said. “She’s very generous with her time, and she’s working all the time. She has set the bar for community engagement.”
Currently, she is working on raising $50 million to match a grant from Blue Meridian Partners to invest in seven Atlanta neighborhoods – in an effort now known as the Atlanta Neighborhood Collective.
“I am not a fundraiser,” Waller told people at the Westside summit. But she quickly said she’s helping raise $50 million so “we can unlock the $50 million from Blue Meridian Partners and put all of that money to work in these seven neighborhoods.”
Everyone I spoke to about Waller said she misspoke when she said she wasn’t a fundraiser. In fact, so many people know that if you want to raise money or get something done, she is one of the first Atlantans you’d call.
“Kathy truly is special beyond words,” said Sylvia Russell, a retired president of AT&T-Georgia. “Her civic leadership is below the radar. She does it quietly. She really takes this calling to serve Atlanta seriously.”
David Eidson, president of the Coxe, Curry & Associates fundraising firm, said he loves her vulnerability and humility.
“What Kathy brings to the table is an understated position in Atlanta,” Eidson said. “She has incredible credibility with the community. She does everything she says she’s going to do. She puts her money where her mouth is.”
Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center and past president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, has seen civic leadership in the region for decades. She said Waller “has become one of our city’s most engaged civic leaders” because she’s been willing to do the work.
“After a remarkable career at the Coca-Cola Co., Kathy could have chosen a well-deserved retirement. Instead, she has dedicated herself even more fully to Atlanta,” Moddelmog said. “What makes Kathy truly exceptional is that she leads with both grace and effectiveness, making every institution she serves stronger.”
Going back in time until the 1990s, Atlanta’s top leadership tended to be all male and mostly white. Often those leaders were CEOs of Atlanta’s major companies. Waller now is a posterchild of civic leadership in Atlanta.
“Well, she was the CFO of Coca-Cola,” Moddelmog said. “That said, I think her influence comes from her willingness to step up time and again, and people trust her and her judgment. She is so well-respected, and Atlanta will let you participate if you are authentic about giving back and helping to move the area forward.”
Mayor Dickens summed up Waller this way.
“What makes her most remarkable is that she does it all without seeking credit, recognition, or fanfare,” he said. “Our city is stronger because she spends her days making sure Atlanta’s future is brighter than its past.”
Note to readers: Kathy Waller and Tad Hutcheson served as host committee co-chairs of the 2026 Atlanta Way Day.
