Michael A. Watson

President  & Chief Executive Officer

A native of Trenton, Florida, “Mike” is a 1969 graduate of Auburn University. Following four years of service as an officer in the United States Navy, he began a 32+ year career in telecommunications with Southern Bell in Columbus, Georgia in 1973. He served in positions of increasing responsibility with Southern Bell, AT&T, Bellcore, and finally BellSouth, retiring in February, 2006 as Senior Director – Community Relations for BellSouth Corporation and Vice Chairman  & CEO of the BellSouth Foundation in Atlanta. He also served as Vice President – Volunteerism for BellSouth Corporation, providing leadership to the 100,000-strong BellSouth Pioneers in nine southeastern states.

From 1998 – 2000, Mike was in charge of all public relations, employee communications and media relations for BellSouth Telecommunications. From 2000 until his retirement in 2006, he was responsible for coordinating all BellSouth corporate giving, totaling approximately $20 million annually. He also was responsible for community relations for BellSouth Corporation, leading its relationships with its non-profit partners.  He was a frequent guest speaker at universities, non-profit events and seminars on the topics of corporate giving, volunteerism and non-profit partnerships. In addition, he led the BellSouth Foundation, a $90 million endowment with an exclusive focus on improving public education (K-12) in the southeast United States.

In his present position, Mike leads the Foundation of Wesley Woods, the financial engine behind Atlanta’s renowned Wesley Woods. Founded in 1954 by the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church and Emory University, Wesley Woods partners with Emory Healthcare to provide one of the leading centers on aging in the United States, through programs of service, education and research. Additional information may be found at: www.wesleywoodsfoundation.org .

Mike is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and a member of the boards of both Wesley Woods Center and Wesley Woods Senior Living, Inc. He is very involved in his alma mater includin being a Life Member, member of the Board of Directors, and former Vice President of the Auburn national alumni association. In addition, he serves as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts. He is the charter Chairman of the Smyrna Public Safety Foundation. He is in his 6^th year as Chairman of the Board of the USO Council of Georgia. 

Married to the former Cynthia Miller of Pell City, Alabama, they are active members of the Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Atlanta. They have one son, Kevin, who is a staff member at Auburn University, and two grandchildren.