Celebrating Dynamic Nonprofit Leadership at 2012 Nonprofit Summit

Announcing the Winners of the 2012 Revolutions Awards and Evelyn G. Ullman Innovative Leadership Award

ATLANTA, May 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Inspirational. Pioneering. Motivational. These are all words to describe this year's winners of the 2012 Revolutions Awards and Evelyn G. Ullman Innovative Leadership Award, to be presented at a special Awards Luncheon during the 21st annual Nonprofit Summit, held on May 21-22 at the Atlanta Sheraton. This year's winners join the ranks of Georgia nonprofit luminaries and previous award winners, such as Ann Cramer of IBM, pop star and philanthropist Usher Raymond IV, and Camp Twin Lakes.

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The Summit, the largest sector event in the Southeast, brings Georgia's nonprofit community together with the movers and shakers of the public sector. We celebrate inspirational thought, philanthropic, and community leadership, as demonstrated by this year's Revolutions and Evelyn G. Ullman Innovative Leadership Awards winners. The Georgia Center for Nonprofits, along with the awards sponsor, Gifford Hillegass & Ingwersen, LLP, is excited to recognize each recipient's deep commitment to nonprofit organizations, as well as their innovative, inspirational leadership to local communities and the sector at large.

Announcing the winners:

2012 Evelyn G Ullman Innovative Leadership Award: to Chaiwon Kim, President & CEO of the Center for Pan Asian Community Services, Inc.(CPACS), for the impact she makes on the everyday lives of many immigrants and refugees, a hardship she understands firsthand, as an immigrant herself. Chaiwon has started multiple programs aimed at providing affordable services to uninsured and underinsured Asian Americans. Some of these programs include Vaccination for Children, Asian Breast Care, RICE Center, DOWA Center and Hanna's House. In 2011, CPACS served an average of 2,300 clients monthly. Chaiwon bases her belief system on the philosophy that "people need people," and never imagined she would lead CPACS to where it is today. Under her leadership, CPACS is now seen as an exemplary agency nationwide by other Asian American agencies and is able to help other, smaller agencies build their capacity.

2012 Revolutions Award for Outstanding Nonprofit Leader: to Elaine Draeger, President & CEO of Sheltering Arms Early Education & Family Centers, for her devotion towards elevating early education as one of the most powerful strategies for improving educational outcomes for children. In 1982, Elaine became Assistant Executive Director of Sheltering Arms and in 1991 was named President & CEO. Under Elaine's leadership, Sheltering Arms has experienced rapid growth in its size, scope and quality. The number of Sheltering Arms centers has almost doubled from 9 to 16, with an increase in daily enrollment from 744 to almost 2,500 children. Since 1988, Elaine has spearheaded the creation and growth of Sheltering Arms Georgia Training Institute (GTI). More than 6,000 early childhood and family support professionals from around the Southeast participate in training and technical assistance at GTI each year. Elaine will retire in December 2012, following 30 years of service to Sheltering Arms and the community.

2012 Revolutions Award for Outstanding Nonprofit Organization: to Piedmont Park Conservancy for their commitment to the land, the community and the partnership that has transformed historic Piedmont Park. Evidenced in a compelling public-private partnership and leading to a unique – but replicable – model for the sustainability of a vibrant urban green space, the Conservancy serves more than 3 million people each year. In 2007, the Conservancy undertook its most aggressive fundraising effort to date: a $42.5M Breaking New Ground Campaign which would implement Phase 1 of the Master Plan to Enhance Piedmont Park. The effort has expanded the Park's reach by 23 acres to date, increasing its sustainability, accessibility and safety along the way. Today, Piedmont Park hosts more than 80% of Atlanta's large events and festivals and was selected in 2010 by the Sustainable Sites Initiative as a pilot location in their effort to establish a National Rating System for outdoor spaces.

2012 Revolutions Award for Legendary Philanthropic Leader: to Gary Nelson, President of the Healthcare Georgia Foundation, Inc., a private independent foundation. Appointed in 2002, Dr. Nelson is responsible for executive management of the Foundation's program, financial, and management operations. Working with the Foundation's Board of Directors, Dr. Nelson oversees the Foundation's grantmaking program, which is dedicated to advancing the health of all Georgians and expanding access to affordable, quality healthcare for underserved individuals and communities. Dr. Nelson has served in many capacities including Program Director with The California Wellness Foundation in Woodland Hills CA, Associate Director for Program Evaluation, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion with the CDC, chief of the Evaluation Research Section, Division of Adolescent and School Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion with the CDC. He is currently an adjunct professor of Public Health at Emory University and Georgia Southern University.

2012 Revolutions Award for Outstanding Nonprofit Board Leader: to Jacqueline Yeaney, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Corporate Marketing at Red Hat, Inc. and Co-President of the Board of Open Hand. As President (now Co-President) of Open Hand's Board since 2004, Jackie has been instrumental in the expansion of Open Hand's mission, from that of providing home-delivered meals for clients near the end of life to helping those with chronic illness not only delay disease progression, but prevent the onset of nutrition-sensitive conditions. Jackie's marketing expertise has played a vital role leading Open Hand's rebranding efforts in 2007, helping the organization retain its proud legacy while activating Open Hand's new brand and newly-expanded mission. Her work has resulted in increased community awareness of the organization, increased volunteer participation by 58% and increased donor activity by over 19% from the previous year.

More information about the winners can be found at: http://nonprofitsummit.org/?page_id=447

More information about the Nonprofit Summit can be found at: http://nonprofitsummit.org/

About the Georgia Center for Nonprofits

Over the past 20 years, the Georgia Center for Nonprofits has become a leading state nonprofit organization through its work to improve the quality of life in our communities and across our state by helping to create higher-performing nonprofits. GCN magnifies nonprofit impact in powerful ways— through training, networking, knowledge sharing, advocacy, and collaborations. As the leading advocate for Georgia's nonprofit sector, GCN helps policy-makers and the public understand and support the work of nonprofits. We develop effective nonprofit leaders and professionals through our Nonprofit University programs and training workshops, and we encourage knowledge sharing and collaboration with year round learning and networking events. We promote partnerships between nonprofits and foundations, businesses, and government to meet critical needs. We also provide expert consulting services to help organizations build capacity. Learn more at www.gcn.org.

Media Contact
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SOURCE Georgia Center for Nonprofits