Leadership
Kwame Johnson
President & CEO
Kwame Johnson serves as President & CEO of BBBSMA. Kwame brings 20+ years of experience to the position, having worked for a number of national and local nonprofit organizations, beginning his career as the National Director of Programs with the Woodson Center and Director of Corporate Relations at Communities in Schools, both based in Washington D.C. Before joining BBBSMA in March 2018, he served as the Executive Director of the Greater Atlanta Region for PowerMyLearning, where he increased the organization's revenue by 55% and program reach by 110%. He has been an active member of the nonprofit sector for many years, serving on numerous professional boards and committees. Kwame has received national recognition for his work including the Social Entrepreneur Program of the Year Award from the Manhattan Institute, 40 Under 40 Most Influential People in Washington, DC Award, and the 2020 Atlanta Business Chronicle Most Admired CEO Award. Kwame is from Syracuse, NY, and he holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland.
Michele Pearce
Chief External Relations Officer
Michele Pearce serves as Chief External Relations Officer for BBBSMA, where she is responsible for managing all fundraising activities, recruitment efforts, public relations and marketing programs. She has more than 20 years of experience in development in Atlanta, which began when she served as Senior Development Associate for BBBSMA from 1995-1999. Before returning to BBBSMA in 2015 as Vice President of Development, she was the Chief Development Officer for ClearPoint Financial Solutions (formerly CredAbility/Consumer Credit Counseling Service) a national nonprofit headquartered in Atlanta, and she has also served as Director of Development and Co-Producing Artistic Director for Synchronicity Theatre in Atlanta, and Director of Development for Moving in the Spirit and Cool Girls. Michele holds the Certified Fund Raising Executive designation awarded by CFRE International, and she is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).
Kara Stimpson
Chief Impact Officer
Kara Stimpson serves as Chief Impact Officer for BBBS of Metro Atlanta. She is responsible for the strategic growth and development of the organization’s Programs and for overseeing the tactical, day-to-day operations of the Program and IT Departments. She joined BBBSMA in January 2022, after a 21-year career as an educator, most recently as an elementary and middle school principal in Atlanta Public Schools where she spent the past decade. She is able to use her experience developing and implementing transformative programs in schools to the work of growing programs at BBBSMA. In her role, Kara ensures that all of our Programs are successfully delivered according to best practices in the field of mentoring and are supported by a robust IT infrastructure.
Kathy Wells
Chief Finance Officer
Kathy’s career spans more than 25+ years of various leadership experience in financial management, business leadership, and corporate and non-profit business strategy. Prior to joining Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta, she served as VP of Finance and Accounting for Sylvan Homes and CBRE in the global real estate industries.
Kathy is an executive leader that brings a wealth of business knowledge and experiences. She also possesses the unique ability to manage high performing, virtual, cross functional teams across a broad geography. Her management skills and knowledge within this business and organization have granted her the opportunity to be acknowledged by various leaders, colleagues, and subordinates.
Kathy also had an opportunity to be a part of the non-profit space working with The Salvation Army- Metro Atlanta location prior to CBRE, where she served as the Controller/Accounting Manager over the DHQ division. Kathy holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Saint Leo University.