At an Oct. 21 luncheon, Jan Paul, the former executive director of Leadership Sandy Springs, was awarded the Greater Atlanta Perimeter Chambers 2026 Woman of Distinction.

Andrea Sharper, founder of The Healthy Youth USA Foundation, was named first runner-up, and Tasha McCall, vice president of payments and agentic commerce at Synchrony, was named the second runner-up

The list of 44 finalists from the Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, and Brookhaven area included business owners, volunteers, government officials and non-profit executive directors.

Lauren Sok, the 2025 winner, along with this year’s recipient, Jan Paul, and GPC Board of Directors Chair Natalie Delancey. (Photo by Cathy Cobbss)

Paul’s decades of volunteerism

Paul, after retiring in 2021, from Leadership Sandy Springs, now named Leadership Perimeter, serves as chair of the Sandy Springs Civic Roundtable, a collaboration of 40 local nonprofits. She helped create Volunteer Sandy Springs to connect people with meaningful service opportunities, and serves on the boards of Sandy Springs Foundation and The Sandy Springs Society. She is the wife of the city’s mayor, Rusty Paul.

According to an announcement about the award, her legacy includes “16 years on the Georgia Public Broadcasting Board of Trustees and a decade leading Georgia’s Secret Santa program, which tripled in size and served more than 12,000 foster children by her retirement. Her passion for connecting people and helping others continues to make a lasting impact.”

Related story:
• Lauren Sok named 2025 Woman of Distinction by GPC

Paul, in accepting the award, said she urges the next generation of women to “look forward and look around” to find opportunities to lead through volunteerism.

“What I saw on a regular basis [with Leadership Sandy Springs] was that leadership doesn’t necessarily come with a title,” Paul said. “I would love watching the leaders in the class bring [quiet] people into the conversation.”

DeKalb CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson delivers the keynote address at the GPC Women of Distinction luncheon on Oct. 21. (Photo by Cathy Cobbs)

DeKalb CEO keynote speaker

DeKalb CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson was the keynote speaker at the luncheon and also urged women to step up to leadership roles proactively.

“What matters is that we show up to the room, whether we use the door or the window,” she said. “And we have to enter the room with the end in mind.”

Past winners of the award include:

  • 2025 – Lauren Sok
  • 2024 – Clarissa Sparks
  • 2022 – Patty Conway
  • 2021 – Karen Trylovich
  • 2020 – Jennifer Barnes
  • 2019 – Jean DiLuzio
  • 2018 – Trinita Ervin
  • 2017 – Andrea Settles
  • 2016 – Tisha Rosamond
  • 2015 – Teri Cloud
  • 2014 – Patty Voelz
  • 2013 – Irene Schweiger
  • 2012 – Carolyn Axt
  • 2011 – Mayor Eva Galambos

Cathy Cobbs is Rough Draft's Managing Editor and covers Dunwoody and Brookhaven for Rough Draft®. She can be reached at cathy@roughdraftatlanta.com.