The Tull Charitable Foundation welcomes three new trustees to its board as it continues work with nonprofits across the region. Beth A. Lowry, John O’Neill and Janelle Williams, Ph.D., join the Atlanta foundation as it offers grants to help organizations adapt their business models amid changes in federal funding and policy.
The foundation said the new trustees bring leadership experience in construction, real estate, economic mobility and racial equity. Executive Director Gabby Sheely said their perspectives will strengthen the board and sharpen how it supports nonprofits facing a changing landscape.
Foundation welcomes three leaders as grants support nonprofits
In 2026, the foundation offered Rebuild Grants to help regional nonprofits redesign their business models. According to the release, the grants are intended to help organizations strengthen the parts of their operations that support adaptability, stability and mission focus over time.
The move places the trustee appointments alongside an existing grant effort. Foundation welcomes three new trustees as the foundation continues that work. Fundamentally, the Foundation welcomes three trustees while nonprofits are considering how to manage changes in federal funding and policy, the release said. It did not provide grant amounts, recipient names or a schedule for the program.
Lowry is president and CEO of Holder Construction Company, an Atlanta-based construction services firm founded in 1960. She began at the company as an intern in 1994 and joined full-time in 1995 after graduating from the University of Florida’s M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management. She is the first woman to serve as Holder’s president and CEO.
Her board service includes Georgia Power Company, the Georgia Research Alliance, Atlanta Police Foundation, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, the Kennesaw State University Foundation, Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Rotary Club of Atlanta. In 2022, she created a Kennesaw State University scholarship for underrepresented freshmen studying construction management.
Foundation Welcomes Three Trustees With Regional Experience
O’Neill is president and managing partner, Southeast, for Houston-based Partners Real Estate. Before joining the firm, he spent 20 years with Cushman & Wakefield, representing clients in headquarters transactions and multi-market accounts. His leadership roles there included managing principal of the Atlanta office, president of the Central region and president of U.S. Multifamily Capital Markets.
O’Neill serves on the boards of the Atlanta Police Foundation, Morehouse College, the Buckhead Coalition and Metro Atlanta Chamber. He earned a psychology degree from the College of Charleston and an MBA from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.
Williams is co-founder and CEO of Kindred Futures, where she directs strategies focused on capital, cooperative enterprises, community-centered policies and mission-driven investors. The source describes her work as aimed at closing the racial wealth divide across the American South. Her career includes central banking, national philanthropy and federal policy.
At the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Williams served as principal adviser on the Community and Economic Development team and co-designed the Federal Reserve System’s Racism and the Economy series. She previously directed economic opportunity initiatives at the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Atlanta Civic Site and served as a Congressional Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Williams serves on the boards of United Way of Greater Atlanta and Hope Credit Union. She holds degrees from Clemson University, the University of Georgia and Florida Memorial University, including a doctorate in international family and community studies.
The appointments expand the board as the foundation carries out its 2026 Rebuild Grants. The Foundation welcomes three trustees with backgrounds spanning business leadership and community investment, while the stated grant effort focuses on helping nonprofits strengthen their long-term adaptability.
Red X Magazine has also covered investor training for Nevada founders, a foundation gift supporting children’s wishes and a company pledge to a children’s hospice. The foundation’s release does not specify when it will next announce grant activity.
See the source announcement for full biographies and grant details.