The Leadership Sandy Springs board of directors named Rosalyn Putnam as the organization’s new executive director.
She replaces Jan Paul, who announced her retirement in March after leading the nonprofit organization since 2015. Leadership Sandy Springs works to develop, educate and connect community leaders.
Putnam, a Sandy Springs resident, spent 19 years of her career in the hospitality business, working first with luxury brands and hotels on the sales and marketing side. Putnam then shifted to brand management, learning and development within the luxury hospitality sector.
“That took me from Las Vegas, other cities in the U.S. and then that took me abroad in the Middle East and Africa,” Putnam said.
It was a dream of Putnam and her husband to live abroad. Both of their parents were expats.
“We were lucky enough to live in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Doha, Qatar. And we were overseas for five years,” she said.
That time exploring and working overseas had an “expiration date,” she said.
They came back to the United States and settled in the Atlanta area due to her husband’s business.
“Sandy Springs was particularly interesting to us, because we liked the mix of small and large businesses in the area,” Putnam said. “There seems to be just a vibrant restaurant scene, you have access to everything that a big city offers.”
In Sandy Springs, you also can escape to a quiet neighborhood, or nature trail that are just as accessible.
“So Sandy Springs really felt like the perfect mix of everything for us to settle down in the next chapter of our lives,” she said.
She’s helped companies and their employees grow their businesses and reach their goals for years, Putnam said. She’s had and shared great success with that.
“But now it’s time to take those successes and apply them to a broader and really more fulfilling breach, which is growing and connecting more leaders in our community,” she said.
Companies where she’s worked often have a disconnect about how they fostered their own talent pool, she said.
“It’s exciting to be a part of an organization that helps bridge those gaps and also builds a stronger community in the process,” Putnam said.
She was excited to learn more about Leadership Sandy Springs as it celebrates its 35th year in 2022 and with its gala in September.
Her goals are “maintaining the outstanding legacy that Jan has forged, and Leadership Sandy Springs has enjoyed for the last 35 years, while also helping our programs evolve and adapt to an ever-changing world,” Putnam said.
“Our leadership styles have changed so much over the years, and it’s important that we remain adaptable to those changes so that our community continues to thrive,” she said.
Outside of work, Putnam enjoys nature and tending her garden.