Katie Kirkpatrick has been tapped to succeed Hala Moddelmog as president and CEO at the Metro Atlanta Chamber.
Ms. Kirkpatrick, the chamber’s longtime chief policy officer, will begin in the new role June 15, building on her work advocating to shore up the region’s business environment.
Her appointment comes as the chamber is helping galvanize the corporate community to advocate for the enactment of a hate crimes law, a push that has taken on urgency amid national outcry over racism and police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis. Georgia is reportedly one of five states that lack laws demanding harsher penalties for violence committed against victims based on their on race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation.
Ms. Moddelmog, the first female to head up the 160-year-old business organization, announced in February that she would step down after a six-year tenure that included, among other milestones, a move into new downtown office space, a renewed focus on exports and a reorientation toward future-facing sectors of the economy like financial technology.
Ms. Kirkpatrick, meanwhile, has interfaced with the state, local and national governments and the business community, leading the fight against so-called “religious freedom” legislation in Georgia and working intently on water and environmental issues. A civil engineer, Ms. Kirkpatrick graduated from Auburn University and worked at poultry producer Gold Kist Inc. for nearly 12 years before joining the chamber in 2007.
Learn more about Ms. Kirkpatrick here.
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