New Board Members Announced
The Foundation of Wesley Woods recently announced four new board members, including its new chairman, John C. Ethridge, Jr.
Founded in 1954
by leaders of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church and
Emory University, the Foundation of Wesley Woods partners with Wesley Woods
Center and Emory Healthcare to help people age in healthy, affordable and
ethical ways through a program of service, education and research in seven
facilities in North Georgia and the residential-medical complex on Clifton Road
in Atlanta.
The
Foundation of Wesley Woods is the connection point between the generosity of
supporters in the community, and the practical, life-changing work for which
Wesley Woods is respected and renowned. Through the Foundation of Wesley Woods,
significant charitable care is extended to those whose assets have been
consumed by medical bills or by simply outliving their savings. Millions of
dollars a year are contributed for unreimbursed and charitable care. Just as
importantly, the Foundation provides vital support for specific Wesley Woods
programs, including some of the most consequential research initiatives
underway anywhere in the world on geriatric health issues.
2009
Foundation of Wesley Woods Board Members:
John
C. Ethridge, Jr
Foundation
Chair
John C. Ethridge, Jr. is a
partner in the Corporate Section of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.
In addition to his
transaction- based practice, Ethridge also is engaged in a general corporate
law practice in which he advises manufacturers, distributors, retailers,
service providers and technology companies, and other clients with respect to
the organization and formation of business entities, corporate governance,
financing arrangements and the negotiation and preparation of agreements and
contracts relating to those businesses including employment agreements,
shareholder agreements, licensing agreements and supply and distribution
agreements.
Ethridge received a B.S.
degree in business administration with a major in accounting from the
University of North Carolina in 1978. He received a J.D. degree, with
distinction, from Emory University in 1982, where he was elected to the Order
of the Coif. While at Emory he served on the Board of Editors of the Emory Law
Journal and was the recipient of the Myron Penn Laughlin Award for excellence
in legal writing.
A native of Elberton, Ga.,
Ethridge is a member of the Atlanta and American Bar Association and currently
serves as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He also is actively
involved in leadership roles with a number of educational, religious, and civic
organizations.
Dennis “Denny” Betz
Former BellSouth Vice
President of Corporate Communications, Dennis “Denny” Betz began his 35-year
telecommunications career with New York Telephone working in the business
marketing organization before transferring to Atlanta in 1972 to join the sales
organization of Southern Bell. Between 1972 and 1989, he held positions of
increasing responsibilities in sales, marketing, customer operations, public
relations and public affairs for Southern Bell and BellSouth. In 1989, he was promoted to assistant vice
president of public relations for BellSouth Telecommunications. In 2000, Betz was appointed vice president of
corporate communications/public relations for BellSouth Corporation, a position
he held until his retirement in early 2006.
In addition to his leadership of
numerous non-profit organizations, Betz played an integral role in many major
fund raising efforts in Atlanta such as the $10 million Olympic Park drive and
the $40 million Atlanta Symphony Orchestra endowment campaign. Within BellSouth, Mr. Betz ran several
successful Savings Bonds and United Way campaigns.
Betz served three years as aviation
fuels officer aboard the USS Forrestal following his graduation from the U. S.
Navy Officer’s Candidate School. He was
honorably discharged in 1971 with the rank of lieutenant. A native of
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Mr. Betz is a graduate of Washington and Jefferson
College with a degree in political science.
He has completed the Executive Management Program at Duke University and
post-graduate studies in business at Georgia State University.
Catherine Hilton
Catherine Hilton began her career as a production planner
with Burlington Industries, Inc. and held a management position with Ethicon,
Inc., a Johnson & Johnson Company. She
enrolled in Emory University School of Law in 1992 and received a J.D. degree
from Emory in 1995.
While at Emory Law School, Hilton made the Dean's List, was
a member of the Moot Court Society and the Black Law Students Association,
received the American Jurisprudence Award for Property and the Award for
Excellent Achievement in Appellate Litigation, and was an intern for Justice
Carol Hunstein of the Supreme Court of Georgia.
After law school, she was an associate at Smith, Gambrell, Russell, LLP
in Atlanta, specializing in general corporate law, mergers and acquisitions,
real estate leasing and commercial lending.
In December of 2000, Hilton, who also earned a Bachelor’s degree from
North Carolina State University, joined UPS Capital Corporation as a lending
attorney, and in August of 2002, she was named the Vice President of Legal
Affairs for UPS Capital.
Currently, she is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and
the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism for the State of Georgia; is
a member of the board of directors of the Mary Hall Freedom House, Literacy
Volunteers of Atlanta, the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater
Atlanta and Sheltering Arms. A resident
of Duluth, Ga., she is married to Larry Hilton (a Speech-Language Pathologist),
and has two children, Sheena (a 2009 Yale University graduate and Chemistry
teacher at Phillips Academy, Andover) and Sean (a junior at Yale University
majoring in psychology).
Christopher Nunn
Christopher Nunn is a
member of Russell Reynolds Associates’ Corporate Officer Sector and Financial
Officer Practice. Based in Atlanta, he leads assignments to recruit CFOs,
controllers, treasurers, investor relations officers, audit professionals and
division finance executives. His executive recruiting experience spans a
variety of industries, including financial services, technology, information
services, consumer products and manufacturing.