Business Partners

Atlanta Committee for Progress

The Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP) brings together the top CEOs and leaders from Atlanta's private sector, universities, and nonprofits to provide leadership on issues of great impact for the City via a highly effective partnership with the Mayor of Atlanta. Members serve on working task forces to provide best practice expertise and jumpstart problem-solving.

The ACP is a highly-focused, intentional, and energetic organization to which top Atlanta leaders commit their time on an ongoing basis. Emory President Gregory L. Fenves serves on the ACP.

Atlanta Regional Commission

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the 10-county Atlanta region. The ARC helps focus the region's leadership, attention and resources on critical issues of common concern. The ARC works with local jurisdictions and various regional partners like Emory, on issues including transportation options, healthy livable communities, water resources, services for older and disabled residents, public safety and workforce training and recruitment.

Betty Willis serves on the Strategic Relations Committee and the Regional Competitiveness Strategy Implementation Committee and is actively engaged in the planning and execution of priority issues for our region.

Central Atlanta Progress

Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) is a private non-profit community development organization providing leadership, programs, and services to preserve and strengthen the economic vitality of Downtown Atlanta. CAP's board of directors represents Downtown's top business, civic and education leaders who are focused on a robust community that is safe, livable, diverse, economically viable, assessable, clean, hospitable, and entertaining.

Emory Midtown Hospital CEO Dan Owens and Betty Willis are actively engaged on the CAP board and strongly support CAP's successful initiatives that have helped to contribute to a vibrant and beautiful Downtown.

Metro Atlanta Chamber

The Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) focuses on providing the best business environment for companies through its many services and also promotes partnerships between universities and the business community. Some of the focus areas include bioscience and health IT, innovation and entrepreneurship, technology and workforce development, and transportation.

The MAC has a highly respected and influential public policy team, with whom Betty Willis and others at Emory work closely on policy issues of mutual interest on the local, state and federal levels.

Emory President Gregory L. Fenves serves on the MAC board of directors.

DeKalb Chamber of Commerce

The DeKalb Chamber of Commerce focuses on issues that impact businesses in DeKalb County and promotes public policies that support economic development, business retention and quality of life issues for all of DeKalb's diverse residents.

Betty Willis has served on (and chaired) the chamber's board of directors for many years and is actively involved as a member of the Government Affairs Committee, which sets the legislative advocacy agenda for local, state and federal issues of interest to the Chamber's members.

Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce (GLCC) serves as a resource for the community and small businesses. The GLCC helps small businesses develop, grow and succeed in the local community.

Kendra Price served as chamber president. She continues to work closely with community leaders, business owners, the DeKalb County School System, and elected officials.

Regional Business Coalition of Metropolitan Atlanta

The Regional Business Coalition of Metropolitan Atlanta (RBC) is comprised of the leadership of 15 metro Atlanta area chambers of commerce, representing over 10,000 businesses that collectively employ over a million metro Atlanta residents. The RBC's primary goal is to represent the interests of RBC Chamber members on public policy issues impacting transportation, water and air quality and to advocate for solutions that improve metro Atlanta's quality of life and economic vitality.

Betty Willis has served on the board for many years, serving as chair in 2009 and again in 2018-2019, and works closely with the RBC at the State Legislature, where efforts to advance support for transit funding have been successful.