Welcome
It has been a year of sustaining your purpose. Now it’s time to accelerate your impact. You are the people who are addressing the needs of our communities, and the work to be done is never ending. That is why we want to help.
Join us for a one-day event on April 27, 2023 to hear from world changing leaders and participate in capacity-building sessions on topics such as building boards, strategic marketing, preventing burnout, scaling your impact, and more.

What is the
Chick-fil-A Impact Accelerator?
Watch this video to learn more about who we are and what our last year has looked like.
2023 Speakers
Stage Speakers
Dan Pallotta

Dan Pallotta
Dan is the founder and President of the Charity Defense Council, a national leadership movement dedicated to transforming the way the donating public thinks about charity and change. His newest book is, “The Everyday Philanthropist: A Better Way to Make a Better World,” a pocket guide designed to change giving perspectives for donors of all ages and abilities.
Nzinga "Zing" Shaw

Nzinga "Zing" Shaw
Nzinga “Zing” Shaw is a global business leader and joined The Recording Academy in 2023, serving as a member of the executive leadership team in the capacity of Chief Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Officer. She is responsible for advancing The Recording Academy’s mission and DEI Center of Excellence, all directed to enable a more engaged global workforce, mirror the markets served, and support a more inclusive culture for the musicians, creators, and employees.
Mark Miller

Mark Miller
Mark Miller is a business leader, best-selling author, and communicator. Mark started his Chick-fil-A career working as an hourly team member in 1977 and today leads as Vice President of High Performance Leadership. He began writing over twenty years ago, and with over one million books in print in more than twenty-five languages, Mark’s global impact continues to grow.
Carlos Whittaker

Carlos Whittaker
Carlos Whittaker is bringing hope to humans all over the world. And he’s pretty good at it: he’s an author, podcaster, and global speaker backed by the power of a massive Instafamilia, his enthusiastic social followers, who tune in daily to join forces with Carlos to form connection, do good, and be in community.
Brent Fielder

Brent Fielder
Brent Fielder serves as the Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Chick-fil-A, Inc., providing leadership and oversight to Chick-fil-A, Inc.’s corporate giving, community affairs and community engagement. Previously, Brent owned and operated a Chick-fil-A franchise in Birmingham, Ala., served on the Board of Directors for Chick-fil-A, Inc., and worked over a decade with WinShape Foundation as Associate Director of Staff Development.
During his time with WinShape, Brent met and married Angela White, granddaughter of Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy. As part of the Cathy Family’s third generation, Brent has a passion to carry on the family legacy and Chick-fil-A Corporate Purpose: “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.” In his role as a family member, Brent helps lead philanthropic initiatives on behalf of the family at large in addition to his corporate responsibilities.
Currently, Brent serves on the Board of Trustees for Samford University, the Board of Advisors for Vapor Ministries and the Board of Education for Impact 360 Institute. In 2008, Brent graduated from Samford University with a degree in business management from the Brock School of Business and graduated with his master’s degree in business administration at his alma mater in 2019.
Carol Waddy

Carol Waddy
Carol Waddy currently serves as Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Engagement for Chick-fil-A, Inc. where she leads a team devoted to removing barriers to opportunity for underserved communities and youth. She is responsible for Chick-fil-A’s community initiatives, civic engagement, corporate volunteerism, and public/private partnerships. Prior to joining Chick-fil-A, Inc., Carol served as a Vice President and member of the Executive Leadership Team at United Way of Greater Atlanta. She has 15 years of global experience in various leadership roles from Fortune 500 corporations to technology focused companies including GE Capital, Acuity Brands, Inc. and Emory Healthcare. A passionate volunteer and supporter of many philanthropic endeavors, Carol serves on the Board of Directors for Breakthrough Atlanta, Aerotropolis Atlanta Alliance, National Black Arts Festival and TechBridge, Inc.
Jeff Shinabarger

Jeff Shinabarger
Jeff Shinabarger is a bestselling author and founder of Plywood People, a nonprofit in Atlanta leading a community of startups doing good. His work has been featured by Forbes, Inc.,CNN, USA Weekend and Huffington Post. He is the co-founder of Q, mentored over 600 startups and created the largest social entrepreneur event in the South called Plywood Presents. @shinabarger
Angelyn Liu

Angelyn Liu
Angelyn Liu serves as Lead Advisor for Chick-fil-A Corporate Social Responsibility, Community Affairs. As an experienced and certified project management professional who has led many CSR, technology, marketing, analytics, and strategic projects across various disciplines and multiple industries, she is passionate about using her business and technical skills to help social entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations grow and scale their impact and organization in order to take good care of children, families, and communities. She has served internationally, including being a volunteer teacher and business coach. She received her undergraduate degrees and MBA from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Lab Speakers
Finance & Fundraising
Karen Houghton
Karen Houghton
Karen Houghton is the CEO and Founder of Infinite Giving, the asset management platform for nonprofits. Their mission is to leverage modern, financial technology to grow the world's giving by helping nonprofits invest reserve funds, create and manage endowments, and receive stock and crypto gifts easily with software that automates their investment strategy.
Jenn McEwen
Jenn McEwen
Jenn McEwen uses more than a 19 years of practical experience, education and expertise to help nonprofits become more effective in fulfilling their missions. Jenn McEwen’s specialty is creating systems and designing tools that empower nonprofit leaders to execute with excellence, based on sector research and best practices.
Jay Bailey
Jay Bailey
Committed to living by his personal motto, “Build As We Climb”,change agent, thought leader, entrepreneur and emerging philanthropist, James M. Bailey has dedicated his life to serving others.
James serves as President and CEO of the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RCIE). Honoring the great legacy and visionary business leadership of Herman J. Russell, Sr., he will lead the development of the largest center in America, driven by impact, dedicated to empowering Black entrepreneurs and small business owners; over 50,000 square feet designed to inspire ideas, create jobs, grow companies, and increase wealth in the community.
Staci Walker
Staci Walker
Staci is a trusted and experienced philanthropic leader with expertise across the nonprofit and foundation landscapes in Atlanta. She has a passion for issues related to racial equity, education, and social impact with proven results in relationship development, program design +implementation, and coaching.
Amy Clarke
Amy Clarke
Amy Clarke is the Program Director of the Cousins Foundations in Atlanta, Georgia. In this role, she is responsible for administering the philanthropic initiatives of the foundations established by Tom and Ann Cousins and family.
People & Culture
Ted Vaughn
Ted Vaughn
Ted is the author of the recently published Culture Built my Brand, founder of BrandBoards and co-founder of Historic Agency, a brand strategy, innovation, and culture consultancy that helps ambitious brands do more good.
Peter Greer
Peter Greer
Peter Greer is the President and CEO of HOPE International. Peter’s favorite part of his job is spending time with the entrepreneurs HOPE serves—whether harvesting coffee with farmers in Rwanda, dancing alongside savings groups in Haiti, or visiting the greenhouses of entrepreneurs in Ukraine.
Dori Pap
Dori Pap
Dori is the Managing Director of the Institute for Leadership and Social Impact at Georgia Tech. She leads social innovation programming, including an internship program that connects GT students with community partners in Atlanta.
Catherine Johansson
Catherine Johansson
Building on a 15-year career managing interns, volunteers, and educator staff in environmental nonprofits as well as working in employer relations at Georgia State University, Catherine co-developed and currently implements Agnes Scott College’s career community model, connecting employers with diverse, prepared internship and job candidates from the #1 most innovative liberal arts college in the country.
Innovation in Programming
Marcus Hollinger
Marcus Hollinger
Marcus Hollinger is the Chief Marketing Officer at Reach Records an Atlanta based independent Hip-Hop label. For the past 3 years Marcus has coached at Stanford, teaching design thinking programs such as D.T. Bootcamp and consulting with companies such as Mitsubishi, NEC, Texas Instruments, and Publicis Sapient.
Kristina Jaskyte
Kristina Jaskyte
Kristina Jaskyte Bahr has an established record of service, teaching, and productive scholarship in the areas of innovation, change, creativity, design thinking, and governance in nonprofit organizations. Her work cuts across many traditional and innovative disciplines and has been cited in a wide array of journals, among them Public Administration Review, International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations (VOLUNTAS), Nonprofit Management and Leadership, and Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership, and Governance.
Becky Endicott
Becky Endicott
As the co-founder and chief storyteller at We Are For Good - a new media company - her dream is to awaken a global Impact uprising where people, worthy missions and communities are inspired to gather, learn, build community, raise funds and cast a ripple of awareness for worthy causes that changes the world.
Dr. Avina Gupta
Dr. Avina Gupta
Dr. Avina Gupta is an Organizational Psychologist and consultant. At Chick-fil-A she advises on Senior Leader development and DEI strategy. Avina is a former consultant with Deloitte Consulting, founder of 2 leadership development firms, and has taught courses on leadership across the globe, from Vienna, Austria to New York City. Avina earned her PhD in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University. Born and raised in Canada, Avina is fluent in Hindi and has working proficiency of German and French. She met her German-born husband Sebastian on a mountain in South Africa and is Mom to their delightful 4-year-old son, Sai and baby girl, Lani Mae.
Branding & Marketing
Blake Howard
Blake Howard
Blake W. Howard is the creative director and co-founder of Matchstic, a brand identity house based in Atlanta that he started at the age of 22. A Nashville, Tennessee native, and University of Tennessee graduate, Blake has helped build an enthusiastic and focused branding firm, with national recognition, that serves global brands, courageous startups, and ambitious non-profits.
Brittany Thoms
Brittany Thoms
Brittany Thoms is cofounder and president at See.Spark.Go, a mid-size public relations agency, specializing in telling national brand stories through earned, owned and paid media strategy.
Andrea Jaron
Andrea Jaron
As Executive Director of Second Helpings Atlanta, Andrea is building on a successful career in service. She is inspired by the opportunity to create change by helping people think in new ways about food waste and its societal and environmental impact.
Nia Price
Nia Price
Nia Price serves as Senior Coordinator for Chick-fil-A's Service and Hospitality team. As an experienced hospitality and operations leader, she is passionate about using her experience to help Operators and Restaurant Leaders execute hospitality and customer service to their fullest potential. Nia also supports organizations interested in growing and scaling their hospitality impact by providing Hospitality webinars led by Chick-fil-A's Service and Hospitality team. With a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Business Management from Virginia State University, Nia was blessed with opportunities to study hospitality in Europe as well. Prior to Chick-fil-A, Nia worked for leading hospitality companies including Marriott, Hilton, Aramark, and Sodexo where she gained experience in hotel and food service operations. A native of Queens, New York, Nia currently lives in Atlanta.
David Rissier
David Rissier
David Rissier joined Chick-fil-A in 2004 to take on a new role within the Marketing department overseeing the in-restaurant brand environment. This included work on programs such as Team Style apparel, menu boards, packaging, music, merchandising, brand signage and store design. In 2017, he transitioned to the Service & Hospitality team to help support and launch Beyond The Restaurant initiatives such as Chick-fil-A Delivery and third-party delivery. In 2021, David transitioned again within Service & Hospitality to lead work on Hospitality programs.
David is a graduate of the University of Illinois with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Advertising. Prior to Chick-fil-A, he worked for a variety of hospitality-related companies including Walt Disney World, Callaway Gardens Resort, the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, and the hotel & resort design firm HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates. David and wife Amy live in Peachtree City, GA and have two grown sons Tyler and Bennett.
In partnership with
