Chair
Phil Jacobs
Partner, The Pendleton Consulting Group
Since 1995, the East Lake Foundation has worked in partnership with residents and community partners to provide equitable access to resources, programs and opportunities for East Lake neighborhood residents and students. Using a holistic approach that includes cradle-to-college and career education, mixed-income housing, community wellness and economic vitality, we work together to ensure East Lake is a community where everyone has opportunities to thrive.
In 2025, as we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we are committed to nurture and create a community of possibility in East Lake. With your support, we will continue to collaboratively build a more equitable future filled with possibility for our neighbors and serve as a model for what is possible when community comes together both locally and nationwide.
Ilham Askia
President & CEO
A Model for Progress
The East Lake Foundation collaborates with The Villages of East Lake residents, Charles R. Drew Charter School families, and other key service providers to ensure every member of our community has equitable access to the resources, tools and supports needed to thrive.
In summer 2024, in collaboration with Purpose Built Communities, Focused Community Strategies, and the Lupton Center, the East Lake Foundation conducted 169 East Lake resident interviews to understand how they feel about the needs and assets of our neighborhood. The Flourishing Neighborhood Index (FNI) survey captured resident voice across economic, social, and structural indicators. Resident and partner listening sessions took place through the end of 2024 and early 2025 to collect feedback and flesh out the results of the survey.
Highlights of the survey include neighbors feeling a sense of pride in the educational resources available in East Lake and a deep sense of place, meaning that they feel connected to and a part of East Lake. It also spotlighted opportunities for growth by increasing opportunities for residents to convene and adding more affordable housing options.
This community-based data will guide the Foundation’s strategic direction and collaboration with partners and residents. We will work diligently to use the information gained to center resident voices and expand knowledge and support of the Foundation’s work and mission.
Nikki Davis, an Atlanta native, has lived in the Villages of East Lake since 2002.
“I am the embodiment of the East Lake Foundation,” she says.
When she first moved in with her 2-year-old son Jeremiah, she was looking for a fresh start. A loving mother, she had always worked but wanted to grow in her career and find a job that allowed her more time to parent her son.
Determined, she connected with the East Lake Foundation’s Resident and Community Support Program (RCSP), participating in job readiness and financial literacy workshops to identify a new career with higher earnings and improved work-life balance. She secured a new, higher-paying job working for Georgia Power and transitioned from receiving assistance with rent to paying market rate.
Her son Jeremiah graduated from Drew Charter School and received scholarships that allowed him to graduate from Kennesaw State University without student loan debt. Today, he runs his own business.
“The East Lake Foundation is changing lives,” Nikki says. “There are so many things that they offer. Being in East Lake, you see what it is to be connected in a community.”
Sisters Sheila Tiller-Tooks and Toshia Tiller have deep roots in East Lake, dating back to the 1970s when their family moved into East Lake Meadows. The youngest of five sisters, they excelled in school, built families, and pursued careers—Sheila in administration and Toshia in sales.
In 2022, they launched CornbreadSisters, inspired by Toshia’s beloved cornbread recipe. Their first client was Souper Jenny, and now their cornbread is served in restaurants across Metro Atlanta.
Graduates of the Start:ME East Lake program, they gained vital resources to grow their business and won a scholarship. Now enrolled in Georgia Tech’s Food and Beverage Accelerator, they aim to bring their cornbread to store shelves.
Their vision? To make CornbreadSisters a lasting legacy for their children and grandchildren. Their advice? “Find a lane and ride until the wheels fall off,” says Sheila.
Joel and Rosemary McElhannon are passionate about their community and believe in the power of education.
When they learned that many students are forced to drop out of college permanently due to lack of financial support, they sprang into action by directing their philanthropy to fill the gap.
Since becoming members at East Lake Golf Club, they have supported the East Lake Foundation and Drew Charter School graduates by providing need-based scholarships for higher education.
“East Lake is an example of what can happen when people of good will from all walks of life come together around a common goal,” says Joel. “Our goal is to see every dollar we invest in these scholarships have a transformative impact in the lives of students who need that small amount of money to get across the finish line. It’s powerful seeing people change the trajectory of their lives. We count ourselves as truly blessed to see this all happen.”
Charles R. Drew Charter School serves nearly 1,900 students in Pre-K through 12th grade with an innovative Project-Based Learning approach centered around a STEAM curriculum.
Drew Senior, Junior, and Elementary Academies each rank in the Top 10 in all of Atlanta Public Schools (APS). Drew consistently ranks in the top 10% in APS and top 20% in the State of Georgia.
Drew has continued to focus on Social-Emotional/Counseling support for students, including implementing a mental health and wellness screener for Pre-K -12, providing students with individual counseling sessions, and following and supporting students with individualized year-to-year graduation plans.
In 2024, the East Lake Foundation established a partnership with Harlem Children’s Zone to implement Wealth Builds, a program model addressing generational wealth by promoting financial literacy and inclusion with seven other pillars that support wealth building. As part of the scholarship pillar of the model, two Drew students were selected as members of the inaugural cohort of the Wealth Builds national leadership program.
Recognizing the importance of building a strong foundation for learning early in a child’s life, the East Lake Foundation and Drew Charter School work closely with our early learning partners (Cox Pre-K, East Lake Early Learning Academy, and Sheltering Arms East Lake) to ensure a seamless transition as students matriculate through our cradle-to-college and career education continuum.
Drew’s Cox Pre-K.
Drew Charter School provides academic recovery programming and support to students through a Summer Acceleration Academy, Saturday School, and targeted tutoring to mitigate the ongoing effects of the pandemic on students’ learning and social-emotional development.
The Summer Acceleration Academy provided support for 119 rising 1st – 6th grade students in need of intensive academic support. As a result:
The Eagles Connect tutoring program addresses learning loss and academic challenges by pairing students with trained tutors in small group settings for one hour a day, two days per week. During the 2023-2024 school year:
In partnership with The Atlanta Land Trust (ALT), the East Lake Foundation celebrated the completion of Phase I of construction of The Trust at East Lake, the first eight of 40 new, permanently affordable townhomes in East Lake. Working closely with the Foundation’s Resident and Community Support Program at The Villages of East Lake, we collaborate to ensure current East Lake residents are equipped to become homeowners through this partnership.
We are pleased to share that a resident of The Villages of East Lake has become a first-time homeowner at The Trust at East Lake. Phase II construction is underway, with completion of all 40 homes anticipated in 2027.
The Resident and Community Support Program (RCSP) offers comprehensive resources and support to residents of The Villages of East Lake mixed-income housing community, with an emphasis on economic stability, career development and community engagement.
RCSP teams with several community partners to enhance employment readiness through financial education workshops, including financial education, entrepreneurship, homeowner education and career coaching. Residents also receive access to job resources, financial tools, small business startup assistance, and much more.
Start:ME East Lake is a 14-session program in partnership with The Roberto C. Goizueta Business & Society Institute at Emory University that offers the assistance promising micro-entrepreneurs need to develop viable and sustainable microbusinesses.
Since its inception, Start:ME East Lake has graduated ten cohorts with 159 total ventures.
In August 2024, the East Lake Foundation hosted the Run for East Lake 5K & Fun Run.
Presented by the East Lake Family YMCA, the event brought together 400 community members to run through iconic East Lake destinations including The Villages of East Lake, East Lake Family YMCA, Charlie Yates Golf Course, and the back 9 holes of East Lake Golf Club.
East Lake Healthy Connections (ELHC), a program in partnership with the East Lake Family YMCA, ensures all eligible East Lake families have access to health insurance, effectively utilize primary and preventive health care services, properly manage chronic diseases, and establish contact with accessible medical homes.
First Tee — Metro Atlanta is a year-round golf instruction and mentoring program that uses the principles of golf, including discipline, hard work, sportsmanship and integrity to enhance academic achievement and life skills for youth participants (ages 7-17) at several program locations across several program locations in Metro Atlanta, including the Charlie Yates Golf Course in East Lake.
Golf instruction not only provides access to the sport, but also can lead to college scholarships, business connections, and employment.
Golf instruction is an integral part of the Drew Charter School experience. Golf programming not only creates a strong continuum for competitive golf teams, but also instills confidence, builds character, and empowers resilience in participants. Both the Junior and Senior Academy offered golf programming to students four days a week as part of their enrichment in 2024. In spring 2024, 33 players participated in one of six competitive golf teams. Drew also hired an additional women’s golf coach to support the Girls’ Golf Team.
Our Donors
We are indebted to the donor support that has contributed mightily to our success.
In Honor of Corporate Volunteer Council Holiday Luncheon
Mr. William Todd Brown
In Honor of Ann and Thomas G. Cousins
Paula and Brant Andrews
Dr. George Wirth
In Honor of David and Susie Deiters
Bill and Stephanie Deiters
In Honor of Fischer Family Book Scholarship
The Reverend Charles and Rhonda Fischer
In Honor of Michael B. Hagearty
Hill and Ellen Griffin
In Honor of Ms. Hamilton
Dr. Charlotte Dudley
In Honor of Richard Hill
Nicholas and Kenan Hill
In Honor of Jane and Clayton Jackson
Ted and Marilyn Lucien
In Honor of Cynthia Kuhlman and Kip Sengstock
Matt Wren
Wren Atlanta
In Honor of Anamaria Meanes
Sheri and Steven Labovitz
In Honor of Kathie and Chuck Palmer
Mildred and John Spalding
Rob Johnston
In Honor of Jonathan Tugman
Austin and Lindsay Davis
In Memory of Tim Christian
Robin and Stephen Almond
Lola and Charles Battle
Scotti Douglas
Cindy and Bill Fowler
Denny and Susie Goode
Mr. Richard C. Ingwersen
Sallie and Bill Stark
TOUR Championship
Ms. Ginger Watkins
Vanguard Charitable Fund
In Memory of Suzy Cohen
Capital City Club Women’s Golf Association
In Memory of Richard Lee Cravey
Mr. and Mrs. Ehney A. Camp, III
Ty Huggins
Graham Kennedy
Cynthia McLean
Mr. and Mrs. Harlan Prater
Cary and Herron Weems
Anna and Hays Mershon
Catherine Wahlen
Gayle and Dennis Winchester
Judy Zaban
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
In Memory of Eva Davis
Jo Ann Herold
In Memory of Dr. J. Don Edwards
Arthur and T’leatha Johnson
In Memory of William B Estes III
Susan Harrod
In Memory of Jillian Laning Giornelli
Raymond A. Giornelli
Dr. Cynthia Kuhlman
In Memory of Sam Kiker
Alan McKnight
In Memory of Lisa Moraitakis
Peter Moraitakis
In Memory of Jerry and Joe Patrick
Patrick Family Foundation
In Memory of Dr. Rolando G. Recio
Matt Recio
In Memory of Dr. Wayne “Kip” Sengstock
Sharon Hall-Thomas
In Memory of Steven W. Surbaugh
Nancy Surbaugh
In Memory of Dan Yates, Jr.
Lanny S. Thomas
We deeply appreciate the vital contribution of our devoted board of directors to the East Lake Foundation, fostering opportunity, equity, and prosperity for all.
Partner, The Pendleton Consulting Group
Board Member, Purpose Built Schools Atlanta
Atlanta Office Managing Partner, RSM
Partner, McKinsey & Company
President and Chief Executive Officer, East Lake Foundation
Managing Director Atlanta Office, Accenture
President, T. Dallas Smith & Co.
Chairman And CEO, Vantage Private Capital
President, Cagle Land, Timber, and Real Estate
President, Georgia Pacific Foundation And Vice President Of Community Affairs, Georgia Pacific
VP and CMO, Norfolk Southern
Executive Director, CF Foundation
Founder and Owner, CPR Learning Concepts, LLC
Co-Founder and CEO, Toldright
Chairman, NBCUniversal Media Group
Managing Partner, Troutman Sanders, LLP
Group President, Omnichannel Sales and Services, Acosta Group
Managing Partner, Tillman and Managing Owner, Granny Nannies
President & CEO Southern Company
We appreciate our Advisory Board’s expertise and commitment to advancing opportunity, equity, and community impact.
Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Cousins Properties, Inc.
Managing Director of Private Client Services, Investment Research & Advisory Group
President and Founder, First Communities
President Emeritus, East Lake Golf Club; Citizens Trust Bank
The programs and services provided by the East Lake Foundation would not be possible without the support of these committed partners who share our vision.
*These unaudited numbers reflect the revenue and expenses of the East Lake Foundation and its charitable contributions to its partners in the East Lake Initiative.
Over the last two decades, the Foundation has proven that working with residents and public and private partners while providing the right combination of comprehensive programs and services is transformative for the community. Learn more on our website or see us in action below.