Mr. Walt Huntley awarded 2017 Emily and Ernest Woodruff Medal of Service
Former trustee honored at Trustee Legacy Luncheon in Atlanta
The Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School Board of Trustees unanimously awarded Mr. Walt Huntley with the 2017 Emily and Ernest Woodruff Medal of Service.
Huntley was honored Tuesday, May 5 during the school’s Trustee Legacy Luncheon at the Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta. The Emily and Ernest Woodruff Medal of Service was established in 2013 to honor outstanding individual service to the School.
A strong advocate for access to education, Huntley served on the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School Board of Trustees from 2000-2009. As a trustee, Walter used his extensive network to promote the benefits of a Rabun Gap education and placed high value on the School’s unparalleled commitment to financial aid and diversity.
A Texas native, Walter received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Trinity University in San Antonio, where he was a standout player on the football team and achieved All-American honors; he later served as Chair of the Board of Trustees and received the Distinguished Alumni Award. Although drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he moved to Atlanta and began working at Research Atlanta, Inc., focusing on analysis of taxation and municipal finance. It was that work that led Walter into volunteering for Maynard Jackson’s first mayoral campaign. He went on to serve as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer and Chief of Staff in Mayor Jackson’s administration. Later, Walter was appointed by Mayor Andrew Young to serve as President of the Atlanta Economic Development Corporation (now Invest Atlanta.) He served in this cabinet-level position for ten years during the mayoral administrations of Jackson, Young, and Campbell. He is the former president of Huntley & Associates, a community and economic development consulting firm specializing in public / private development projects. Walter now serves as a Senior Development Advisor at Carter, a national real estate investment, development, and advisory firm headquartered in Atlanta.
Walter serves on the board of the Fox Theatre and is a member of the Atlanta Rotary and other community organizations. Walter and his late wife, Lynn Walker Huntley, were very loyal supporters of Rabun Gap, and Lynn served as the Chair of the Board for the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, a generous foundation supporter of Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School.
Ingrid Saunders Jones, Huntley’s longtime friend and colleague, spoke about his contributions to the school and the city of Atlanta. Saunders Jones first met Mr. Huntley while working for Honorable Maynard Jackson, then Mayor of the City of Atlanta. She has previously served as Senior Vice President of Global Community Connections for The Coca-Cola Company and Chair, The Coca-Cola Foundation (Atlanta, GA). She is now Chair of the National Council of Negro Women.
“On behalf of the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School Board of Trustees, it is my honor to award Walt Huntly with the 2017 Emily and Ernest Woodruff Medal of Service,” said Board Chair Margaret Carton. “His leadership and service to the school’s Board of Trustees, his commitment to expanding access to education for students from underserved communities in urban Atlanta, and his strategic direction and care for future generations at Rabun Gap make Walt Huntley the perfect choice for this year’s award.”
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School
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Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School is a private, coeducational day and boarding school for grades Pre-K through 12. Centrally located between Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, and Asheville, NC, we prepare young people for college, career, and a lifetime of leadership and service.
