Exciting Additions and Changes to Achieve Atlanta’s Leadership Team

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Achieve Atlanta Community,

As Achieve Atlanta continues to execute our bold new strategic plan and work toward our long-term goals, our team is expanding and changing to meet the growing demands of this critical work. To ensure we are successful, we are adding important capacity and shifting the responsibilities of existing team members. With that in mind, I’m excited to announce the following additions, promotions, and changes to our executive leadership team:

  • Susanne Diggs-Wilborn has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Programs.

  • Shannon Georgecink is joining Achieve Atlanta as Vice President, Advancement & External Affairs, effective February 3.

  • Korynn Schooley is taking on a new role as our first Vice President, Policy.

  • Sam Rauschenberg is taking on a new role as our first Vice President, Growth & Impact.

  • We are seeking a seasoned, cross-functional leader for a newly created Vice President, Strategic Operations role and have been thrilled with the overwhelming interest and applications to date.

For more details on each exciting update, see below:

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Susanne Diggs-Wilborn – Executive Vice President, Programs

Susanne Diggs-Wilborn has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Programs. This well-deserved promotion is a testament to her exceptional leadership, unwavering dedication, and remarkable contributions to Achieve Atlanta.

Over the years, Susanne has played a pivotal role in driving our college success programming initiatives, which have been critical to Achieve Atlanta’s strong outcomes. As our first Executive Vice President (EVP), Programs, Susanne will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for College Access, College Success, Scholarship & Affordability, and Career Support initiatives, ensuring cohesion and consistency across the Scholar journey. In addition, she will oversee new and pilot programs and manage external partner relationships that are essential to students’ success. As Susanne steps into this new role, we are confident that her vision and expertise will continue to propel our organization’s programming to new heights.

 

Shannon Georgecink – Vice President, Advancement & External Affairs

Effective February 3, Shannon Georgecink will join the Achieve Atlanta team as Vice President, Advancement & External Affairs. In this newly created role, Shannon will provide visionary leadership to elevate Achieve Atlanta’s fundraising efforts, enhance external partnerships, and strategically position our work for greater success.

Shannon joins us from Atlanta Technical College (ATC), where she served as Vice President of Institutional Advancement, partnering with the ATC’s President and Foundation Board of Trustees to elevate the advancement function. Throughout her career, Shannon has demonstrated an exceptional ability to raise funds, cultivate strategic partnerships, and amplify organizational impact. Her deep expertise in education, advocacy, communications, and fundraising will be invaluable as she leads Achieve Atlanta’s efforts to build a sustainable future for our Scholars. Please join me in welcoming Shannon to our team!

 

Korynn Schooley – Vice President, Policy

Korynn Schooley will serve as Achieve Atlanta’s first Vice President, Policy. Korynn has been instrumental in the growth and evolution of Achieve Atlanta since our founding, building and overseeing our College Access and Affordability programs. Over that time, Korynn has also served as Achieve Atlanta’s de facto policy lead, often testifying in legislative hearings and ensuring Achieve Atlanta has a seat at the table for state and federal policy decisions.

This new role will allow Korynn to devote her full attention to these important efforts, utilizing her expertise and passion for policy and advocacy work while also setting the policy conditions for success for Atlanta’s students, our Scholars, and the broader community.

 

Sam Rauschenberg – Vice President, Growth & Impact

Sam Rauschenberg will serve as Achieve Atlanta’s first Vice President, Growth & Impact. In his current role, Sam has provided strategic leadership for our team’s data strategy, operations, and marketing/communications while ensuring team members have what they need to make informed decisions, communicate accurately, and execute with excellence on our mission and vision.

In this new role, Sam will lead the expansion of the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship within Metro Atlanta. In addition, he will oversee our research and evaluation efforts to measure the impact of our core model and the expansion, ensuring those learnings strengthen how we serve Atlanta’s students and inform the broader college access and success field.

 

New Role – Vice President, Strategic Operations

Achieve Atlanta is seeking its first Vice President, Strategic Operations to oversee and manage the internal systems, financial processes, human capital, cross-functional project management, and data-informed insights that drive our organization’s success.

As a key member of our leadership team, the Vice President, Strategic Operations will play a critical role in shaping the strategic direction of our organization and driving sustainable growth and impact. They will scale Achieve Atlanta’s strong foundational approaches from start-up to maturity across functional areas to ensure that the processes for strategic planning, budgeting, goal setting, continuous improvement, and human capital are best-in-class and implemented with fidelity.

The priority application deadline is January 27. Visit our careers page to learn more and apply!

Wishing you all a successful and joyful 2025,

Dr. Cheryl Watson-Harris
President/Executive Director
Achieve Atlanta


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