Harvard Club of Georgia

Sunday Supper - May 5 (6-9PM)

With Guest: Michael Thurmond - CEO DeKalb County

Sunday Suppers are casual gatherings where new ideas and stimulating conversation are the main fare. The guest speaker leads an informal discussion based on their work or topic of interest. Reservations are open to current Harvard Club of Georgia members and Harvard Business School Club of Atlanta their guests on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendance is limited to 12 people so that the conversation is more personal and happens around the dinner table.

The dinners are Pot-luck, so please bring a dish that you like that you can share. The May dinner location will be at the home of Mike St. Louis.

If you are interested in hosting a Sunday Dinner, please contact Robert ( rahahn5@gmail.com ).

COST: Free, but you must register in advance.

RSVP: Open to first 12 HCG and HBS Club of Atlanta members

SPEAKER: Michael Thurman

Michael L. Thurmond is the chief executive officer of DeKalb County, Georgia, one of the
largest and most diverse counties in the Southeastern United States. As CEO, Thurmond ushered
in a “New Day” of trust, accountability and integrity in the county government. He is also an
attorney, author and motivational speaker. He has implemented an innovative response to the COVID-19 pandemic that includes:

• Mitigating food insecurity by distributing 139,000 boxes of fresh fruits, vegetables and protein to struggling families
• Administering 10,000 COVID-19 vaccinations through the “Get Vaxxed!” incentive program
• Investing $10 million in crime prevention initiatives that included bonuses and front line pay for police, fire and other essential workers
• Distributing $54 million in rental assistance to 2,500 tenants and landlords
• Creating 4,000 virtual summer jobs for young job seekers

Thurmond’s book Freedom: Georgia’s Antislavery Heritage, 1733-1865, was awarded the prestigious Georgia Historical Society’s Lilla Hawes Award. In 2004 the Georgia Center for the Book listed Freedom as “One of the Twenty Five Books All Georgians Should Read.” CEO Thurmond, a sharecropper's son, holds a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and religion from Paine College and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina’s School of Law. Thurmond also completed the Political Executives program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

He earned the reputation of being a “turnaround expert” after transforming the culture and operations of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services, the Georgia Department of Labor and the DeKalb County School District. In 1986, Thurmond became the first African-American elected to the Georgia General Assembly from Athens/Clarke County since Reconstruction. In 1998 he was elected Georgia Labor Commissioner, becoming one of the first African Americans to be elected to statewide office in Georgia.

He is married to Zola Fletcher Thurmond, and they have one daughter, Mikaya.l be offset by a reduction in the faculty member's base pay in direct proportion to the increase in compensation received.