Bird Bash is BACK! Save the date for November 14th, 2024.
Purchase tickets or become a sponsor today!
Bird Bash is BACK! Save the date for November 14th, 2024.
Purchase tickets or become a sponsor today!
Our board and executive director are local professionals who give their time and expertise for the good of Two Sparrows Village. We couldn’t be more grateful to them. Meet our team below.
Jacque currently serves as the Executive Director for Two Sparrows Village and SageNavigator, respectively. She has served as a change agent for 20 years in association management with her focus in the field of aging services, as well as 13 years in the public health arena as an analyst.
In her recent positions, Thornton was the Senior Vice president of LeadingAge Georgia and the Georgia Institute on Aging and the Population Health Director at National Church Residences, Georgia.
In addition, Jacque’s career and volunteer activities have been devoted primarily to working with governmental and nonprofit organizations such as LeadingAge National’s Professional Development Network, Co-founder and Board Chair of SageNavigtor, Board Member of Two Sparrows Village, Center for Positive Aging, Atlanta Regional Commission’s Advisory Committee on Aging, AARP Georgia AgeFriendly Collaborative, Clark Atlanta University Guild Member & Officer, BridgeBuilders of DeKalb & East Point, Atlanta Healthy Start Initiative, Children 1st, NCNW Life Member, Hands-On-Atlanta, and others.
Jennifer Conforti has over 15 years experience as a business consultant and has owned her own consulting firm since 2001. In 2013, she took a new path as Executive Director of Southside Support, Inc., a nonprofit organization serving special needs families in South Metro Atlanta. During her 3 years of service with Southside Support, the realization of the need for housing for adults with disabilities was too great to ignore.
On May 1, 2017, Jennifer founded Two Sparrows Village, Inc., and was appointed the Executive Director position once again for the purpose of building an intentional community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Fayette County, GA. Jennifer is married to her husband, Byron, and has one child, Abby, who is 6-years old. Abby was diagnosed with Parial Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum and Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2012. Abby is the fuel that keeps Jennifer’s fire for the special needs community burning.
Chip Beard is founding partner of Derbend Asset Management in Peachtree City, GA, an independent Registered Investment Adviser started in 2002. Chip began his career in 1983 with Merrill Lynch. He holds an undergraduate degree and MBA from The Walton School of Business at the University of Arkansas.
He and his wife, Suzanne, have three grown children and attend Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church in Peachtree City.
Paul Goggin is a serial Entrepreneur and has held many technology/operations roles. Currently, he is COO/CTO and Founder of The Able Channel, an OTT dedicated to individuals with special needs, chronic health conditions and their caregivers. His most recent role was CTO of Free All Media which provided a marketing/advertising technology platform for the music industry and content publishers.
Paul serves on several corporate boards including Viva Green Homes, Planet Systems Group, and Free All Media. Paul is very active with his alma mater, Georgia Institute of Technology and has served in a variety of capacities on The College of Sciences Advisory Board, Alumni Association Advisory Board and Executive Committee as well as the Strategic Technology Task Force.
Derrick Jackson is Georgia State Representative for House District 64, which consist of areas in College Park, Fairburn, Fayetteville, Tyrone, City of South Fulton and Union City.
Derrick is a 22-year military officer veteran (U.S. Navy), corporate general manager, Adjunct Professor, entrepreneur, non-profit Board Member, and a leader in the community that is known for his energy, enthusiasm, keen work ethics, integrity, and a strong commitment to serve his constituents.
Derrick holds a Bachelor of Science in Management (and minor in Marketing) from Virginia Wesleyan College; Master of Science in Management from Troy University, and is currently enrolled in Walden University’s Ph.D. program for Public Policy & Administration.
Derrick Jackson is married to the former Michelle McClain of Charleston, SC., and they have been blessed with three children and loyal residents in District 64. Lastly, he is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society, Elizabeth Baptist Church, and several non-profit organizations.
George Martin is Chief Operating Officer at Christian City where he has worked for the past 10 years. Prior to that he was employed by the US Postal Service for 30 years when he retired as the Executive Director responsible for the network of package sorting processing centers across the nation.
George has a BA in Pre-Law from the University of Central Florida and an MBA from Rollins College. He has also participated in on-site Executive Leadership programs at the University of Virginia, Northwestern, Duke and Harvard University.
He has served on a number of local non-profit and civic boards including United Way of N. Fla., the Combined Federal Campaign, Promise Place, and the Peachtree City Recreation Commission. He is a past President of the Rotary Club of Peachtree City and also the Peachtree City Running Club. He lives the motto of “Service above Self”.
Karen Graiser, a client-focused REALTOR® with over four years of experience serving in the Southern Crescent of Atlanta, is with Harry Norman REALTORS®. She is a seeker of justice and a promoter of doing what is right. Her sense of humor is refreshing and her initiative to be everyone’s advocate is contagious. God, Family, and Friends are her top priorities in life. Philanthropy has always been one of her passions.
The success of Two Sparrow’s Village is very important to her! She has seen the challenges that family and friends have experienced trying to care for children and adults with disabilities. She understands the hardships that families experience. Her problem-solving capabilities have her motivated to fill this void for families. With two daughters of her own, Karen understands a parent’s ambition to care for and to ensure that their child will be in a safe and loving environment, which is the foundation for Two Sparrows Village. She has blindly been a supporter of TSV since its inception. After continued support, Karen is currently serving as a Chair for the Fundraising Committee and is engaged in coordinating efforts across different channels of fundraising. She feels Blessed to be active in this role.
Before pivoting into the world of Real Estate, she spent 15+ years in Sales and Strategic Business Development, Business Insights, and Market Analysis in Atlanta with companies including Delta Airlines, Synder’s Lance, and IHG. Since her transition, she now focuses on
creating strategies and determining the best solutions for her clients. Through Continuous Education, involvement in various Associations, Real Estate Designations, and remaining current with market trends, Karen is always working towards continuously improving her
knowledge-base, so she can create value that her clients can trust and rely upon.
Laurel Hart is the Vice President of Asset Management and Preservation for Columbia Residential. In this position, Laurel is responsible for leadership, strategy, and implementation of Columbia’s policies for sustaining its portfolio, which includes 7,500 affordable and mixed-income apartments located in Georgia, Texas, Florida, and Louisiana.
Prior to joining Columbia, Laurel was part of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) leadership team for more than eighteen years. As Director of Housing Finance and Development, she was responsible for the administration and operation of Georgia’s affordable housing programs for the financing and/or development of multi-family affordable housing.
Before she started her tenure at DCA, Laurel was a practicing attorney in Chicago for more than 20 years.
Laurel has a Juris Doctor from Chicago Kent College of Law. She is also a graduate of the Executive Development Program at the University of Notre Dame.
Kay Shoaf is a Sr. Business Consultant for Chick-fil-A, Inc. working in enterprise protection. She helped to organize teams by their department and heighten the level of awareness of the program. She also improved the IT platform of ServiceNow for easy navigation and entry of issues/crisis action items and networked with teams for shared learnings.
Prior to her position as a Sr. Business Consultant, she worked as Sr. Executive Administrator to the President and CEO of Chick-fil-A, Inc. Her duties included prioritizing the requests for speaking engagements, meetings, trips (all calendaring items) to help keep the President focused on where the business needed his attention. She accomplished many projects while keeping the day-to-day successful. She coordinated with the CFA Board of Directors on all meetings/trips and had to work at a fast pace while managing many projects that were happening simultaneously, with success. She successfully managed the logistics of a busy office with no two days being the same.
Before working with Chick-fil-A, Inc. she had a long career working with Georgia-Pacific Corporation. During her time at Georgia-Pacific, she had many responsibilities. She started out as the Receptionist and worked her way to the office of the President. She worked in the following departments: Administration, Environmental Engineering, Softwood Lumber Sales, and Executive Office. Her duties included managing staff, logistical work, coordination of GP’s Board of Directors, Event Planning, and many tactical details.
Tara is the founder of En Pointe Communication. She created this consulting business by applying her years of neuroscience research to her years of leadership, sales, and presentation experience. Her clients are purpose-driven leaders, speakers, and salespeople who are looking to improve their ability to influence teams, audiences, and prospects.
Before En Pointe, Tara worked for 23 years in sales, sales management and as vice president of sales for a $400M+ national corporation. Interestingly and quite tragically, Tara’s daughter was struck with a rare virus in 2005. What ensued was a lifetime of seizures that caused gradual and significant brain damage. This catapulted Tara into a lifelong, mono-maniacal study of the brain as it relates to memory, human behavior, habit, and function.
These years of study paralleled Tara’s devotion to the art and sport of communication, inspired her Talk To The Brain platform. With an eBook, speeches, workshops, and coaching, Tara teaches strategies and techniques based on the neuroeconomics of what delights and influences the minds of audiences in today’s noisy world.
Brian Cooper is the principal at Red Tail Consulting, a company focused on helping Georgia companies connect with the film industry and further the development of studio space in the Georgia market. Prior to forming Red Tail Consulting in 2019 he served as VP of Operations at Pinewood Atlanta Studios for 6 1/2 years. He is a native of Columbia, South Carolina, but has called Georgia his home since 2000. He is an avid sportsman and past co-chair of the Fayette County Chapter of Ducks Unlimited and serves as committee member for the National Wild Turkey Federation Line Creek Chapter. He has served on the national board for Partnership 4 Conservation as is currently the treasurer for Southern Conservation Trust. Brian’s commitment to the Fayette County community leads him to invest his time in organizations that truly benefit the community he calls home. He believes that the greatest gift one can give is their time, talent, or treasure to others. Brian is a member of Fayetteville First United Methodist Church.
We look forward to hearing from you.
