People
January 25, 2010
Emory welcomes three new trustees
Kathelen Amos
Facundo Bacardi
Muhtar Kent
The Emory University Board of Trustees has elected three new members: Kathelen Amos, president of the Aflac Foundation and chair of the Georgia Cancer Coalition; Facundo Bacardi, chairman of the board of Bacardi Limited; and Muhtar Kent, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Company. They will begin their appointments at the board’s February meeting.
Kathelen Amos received an undergraduate degree in political science from Emory then graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law. She was elected to a six-year appointment as a term trustee.
Amos joined Aflac in 1985 as a staff attorney and was named deputy counsel in 1989. In 1990, she became responsible for the company’s media relations, and formed the corporate communications department, which was responsible for the company’s public relations, sponsorships, donations and national advertising.
The company’s first female executive vice president, she held that position for the duration of her career at Aflac. Under her leadership, Aflac developed its award-winning Alfac duck advertising campaign. After retiring in 2005, Amos retained her role as president of the Aflac Foundation, working with the philanthropic endeavors of the company, and as the relationship advisor to the Aflac Cancer Center. She works with her husband, Dan, on his personal philanthropic endeavors, and is president of the Paul S. Amos Educational Foundation.
She also serves on the board of visitors for UGA’s School of Law. She is a member of the board of trustees of Brookstone School, the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley, and Columbus Bank and Trust. In 2007 she received the “Volunteer of the Year” award from the Georgia Department of Adult and Technical Education for her efforts with the $25 million building campaign for Columbus Technical College.
Facundo Bacardi is a graduate of American University and Emory’s School of Law. He was elected to a six-year term as an alumni trustee.
He has served as chairman of Bacardi Limited, the third largest global distilled spirits company, since his appointment in 2005. Bacardi also is president of Apache Capital LLC, an investment company based in Florida that invests in a broad diversified class of public and private assets. He serves on the board of trustees for Northwestern Mutual, and serves on the advisory board for Noro-Moseley Partners, the largest venture capital firm in the Southeastern U.S.
Bacardi is a trustee of the Lubee Foundation, an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve fruit and nectar bats and their habitats through conservation, research and education. He also serves as executive director for the Facundo and Amalia Bacardi Foundation whose mission is to provide for the general well-being of South Florida by supporting educational, health, food and housing, and environmental programs.
Muhtar Kent was elected to a six-year appointment as a term trustee. He was named chairman of the board and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company in 2009. Kent joined the company in 1978 and has held a variety of marketing and operations roles throughout his career. Prior to his current post, he served as president and CEO, after holding the position of president and chief operating officer, overseeing all operations of the business.
Earlier, he held the position of president of Coca-Cola International, responsible for the company’s operations outside of North America. Prior to this appointment, Kent was president and chief operating officer of the company’s North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East Group.
He is a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association, a member of the Business Roundtable, and a member of the board of the Special Olympics, the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He also is the chairman of the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council.
Kent is a graduate of the University of Hull, England and CASS business school at City University in London. He also holds an honorary doctorate of law degree from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta and an honorary doctorate degree in economics from the University of Hull.
“Our new trustees bring a deep well of experience, expertise and talent to the board and governance of the University,” says Rosemary Magee, vice president and secretary of the University, who works closely with the board of trustees. “They will serve Emory extremely well as we continue our work toward greater eminence in education, scholarship and service to our community and as we strengthen Emory’s position as a destination university.”
The 41-member board of trustees oversees the governance and long-range fiduciary health of the University. Alumni trustees serve six years. Nominees are selected by the Emory Alumni Board and submitted to the board of trustees for consideration and approval. New term trustees serve a six-year initial term; a four-year renewable term may follow. Term trustees are selected by the Governance, Trusteeship and Nominations Committee and submitted to the board of trustees for consideration and approval. Final approval rests with the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church.
