In conjunction with the Governor’s Office, the Georgia Historical Society reestablished the Georgia Trustees as a way of recognizing Georgians whose accomplishments and community service reflect the highest ideals of the founding body of Trustees. The original Georgia Trustees, a governing body chartered and appointed by His Majesty King George II of England in 1732 to establish a new colony in North America, founded Georgia upon the principle of Non Sibi, Sed Aliis, “Not for Self but for Others.” GHS and the Governor’s Office reestablished the Trustees in 2008. The Governor annually appoints new Trustees whose history-making accomplishments and service reflect the original Trustees’ ideals.
The Office of the Governor and the Georgia Historical Society (GHS) named Dan Amos and Donna Hyland as the 2023 Georgia Trustees, the highest honor the State of Georgia can bestow. Their induction took place at the Georgia Historical Society’s Trustees Gala on April 22, 2023.
The 2023 Georgia Trustees
Daniel P. Amos
Dan Amos became chief executive officer of Aflac Incorporated in 1990 and is the second longest-serving CEO in the Fortune 200 behind Warren Buffett. In January 2000, Dan launched the popular Aflac Duck advertising campaign, transforming Aflac from a successful supplemental insurance company to a top international brand recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies for 22 years. His commitment to ethical business practices has led the Ethisphere Institute to recognize Aflac Incorporated as a World’s Most Ethical Company for seventeen consecutive years, making Aflac the only insurance company in the world to appear on this list every year since the inception of the award in 2007. Amos has also appeared five times on Institutional Investor magazine’s lists of America’s Best CEOs for the insurance category, and he has been recognized as one of the 100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World by the Harvard Business Review five times. His innovative leadership style has led to astounding annual revenue growth from $2.7 billion in 1990 to $19.5 billion in 2022.
In 1995, Dan and his wife, Kathelen, were inspired to spearhead Aflac’s decades-long commitment to helping families of children diagnosed with cancer. The company and its independent sales associates have contributed more than $165 million to this cause, including funding for the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, which has become a leading childhood cancer facility in the United States by U.S. News and World Report. In Japan, through the Aflac Parents House, Aflac has also helped more than 140,000 children and their families who are facing cancer and other diseases.
Donna W. Hyland
For 32 years, Donna Hyland has helped shape the delivery of healthcare to children in Georgia and beyond. First as Chief Financial Officer, then Chief Operating Officer and now as President and Chief Executive Officer, Hyland has overseen monumental growth and achievement at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She was instrumental during the merger of Egleston Children’s Health Care System and Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Center, as well as the addition of Hughes Spalding and Marcus Autism Center, which led to the formation of what is now one of the largest pediatric healthcare systems in the country. Today, Children’s is consistently ranked as a top pediatric hospital by U.S. News & World Report and one of Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.”
Hyland’s dedication to pediatric healthcare has resulted in recognition as one of Atlanta’s and Georgia’s most influential leaders.
Her dedication to the community extends outside of Children’s, where she serves on the boards of Atlanta Committee for Progress Inc., Cousins Properties Incorporated, Genuine Parts Company, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, Truist Atlanta Advisory Board, and Stone Mountain Industrial Park, Inc.
Previous Inductees:
2022:
- Dan Cathy, Chairman of Chick-fil-A, Inc.
- Shirley Franklin, Former Mayor of Atlanta and Civic Leader
2021:
- David P. Abney, Former Executive Chairman of the UPS Board of Directors
- Juanita Powell Baranco, Executive Vice President and COO of Baranco Automotive Group
2020:
- Robert L. Brown, Jr., President and CEO of R.L. Brown & Associates, Inc.
- Robert S. Jepson, Jr., Founder and CEO of Jepson Associates, Inc.
2019:
- Frank Blake, Retired Chairman and CEO of The Home Depot
- John Schuerholz, Vice Chairman Emeritus of the Atlanta Braves
2018:
- Edward H. Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines
- W. Paul Bowers, Retired Chairman, President, and CEO of Georgia Power
2017:
- F. Duane Ackerman, Retired Chairman of the Board and CEO of BellSouth
- A.D. “Pete” Correll, Retired CEO of Georgia-Pacific
2016:
- James H. Blanchard, Retired Chairman of the Board and CEO of Synovus
- Muhtar Kent, Chairman of the Board and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company
2015:
- Alana Smith Shepherd, Co-founder of the Shepherd Center
- Paula S. Wallace, President and Co-founder of the Savannah College of Art and Design
2014:
- Arthur M. Blank, Co-founder of The Home Depot, Owner of the Atlanta Falcons
- William Porter “Billy” Payne, Former Chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, Chairman of Centennial Holding Company, LLC
2013:
- Truett Cathy, Founder of Chick-fil-A
- Herman Russell, Founder of H.J. Russell & Company
2012:
- Tom Cousins, Founder of Cousins Properties, Inc., Founder of Purpose Built Communities
- Andrew Young, Former UN Ambassador and Mayor of Atlanta
2011:
- Vincent J. Dooley, Legendary UGA Football Coach
- The Honorable Sam Nunn, Former U.S. Senator
2010:
- Henry “Hank” Aaron, Baseball Legend
- Robert Edward “Ted” Turner, Founder of CNN, Chairman of Turner Enterprises, Inc.
2009:
- Bernard Marcus, Co-founder of The Home Depot
- Marguerite Neel Williams (honored posthumously), Community Volunteer and Philanthropist