BOARD OF DIRECTORS
STACY CREEK ADAMS
Business Manager, Board Chair
Stacy has more than 20 years of experience in leadership, operations management, human resources, and accounting. Specifically, she managed the largest dermatology practice in the southeast where she was responsible for a budget in excess of $5 million, managed more than 100 employees and reduced costs in improving effectiveness of the clinical practice. In addition to her vast experiences, she is a jewelry designer and artist. Her line of jewelry is vintage inspired and is sold in local community spots throughout Georgia. She studied ballet for many years as a child and she is eager to assist in contributing to TADA Foundation’s offering of dance education for those with disabilities. She is passionate about work within communities that can have an impact for the underserved. Stacy’s role on this project will be to oversee the fiscal management of this award and to assist in the day-to-day operations of the award.
CINDY BICKMAN
Owner and Founder – Chattooga School of Gymnastics and Dance (CSGD)
Cindy Bickman began studying ballet as a preschooler and majored in
ballet at Birmingham Southern. Cindy opened Chattooga in 1976 and since then has coached artistic,rhythmic, aesthetic group, dance, and Special Olympics gymnastics. Chattooga School of Gymnastics & Dance was founded in 1976 and is named after Camp Chattooga, a summer camp located in Tallulah Falls, GA. Chattoga School is currently located in Marietta,GA. Chattooga is an Indian word that means stepping stones of growth. Chattooga students have performed at numerous events throughout Atlanta, the US, and abroad. Locally, the group has participated in the Festival of Trees and Christmas Parade, the Yellow Daisy Festival, Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies, Ballet Fest, Hawks games, Braves games, SkateAmerica (figure skating), and the Federation Cup (tennis). 1996 provided many opportunities for the group to perform, including Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games, the Olympic gymnastics show, the dedication of the Flair statue at the World Congress Center, and the Closing Ceremonies of the Paralympics. Chattooga School of Gymnastics has been selected by USA Gymnastics as part of the US delegation to the World Gymnaestradas in 1999 (Gothenberg, Sweden), 2003 (Lisbon, Portugal), and 2007 (Dornbirn, Austria) and the Gym For Life World Challenge, 2009 (Dornbirn, Austria). Chattooga has been the home of the Cobb County Special Olympics Gymnastics team since 1983. Special Olympics athletes train, compete, and perform as an integral part of the Chattooga team. Typical students at Chattooga compete as Unified Partners in Special Olympics competitions and eventually become certified coaches and judges. The gym works closely with Special Olympics Georgia, Special Olympics Cobb County, and Special Olympics International on many projects, including competition opportunities, coaches’ workshops, training videos, and program development. Special Needs Programs are offered in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Mat Pilates Mat. Cindy’s many years of life practice in working with students with special needs are an asset to the TADA Foundation Board.
KARA JACOBSON, MPH
Founder, The Atlanta Dance Academy and Executive Director, TADA Foundation
Kara is the founder and owner of The Atlanta Dance Academy which opened in October of 2016. The vision of TADA is to celebrate finding the joy in movement with a fun, healthy and collaborative energy for all that have a passion or interest in dance and fitness excellence. TADA aims to create a quality studio experience that bows to the benefits of dance – confidence and expression, true body connection, and the learning process of creative arts – and to break down the barriers that are often present in more traditional schools of dance education. Kara has 42 years of dance training and education experience and is an Atlanta native. Her training and performance experiences include: Harkness House in New York City, The Joffrey Ballet, The Atlanta Ballet, The Georgia Ballet, and Southern Ballet. Kara is trained in classical ballet, jazz and modern dance. Ms. Jacobson is also a graduate of the nationally recognized Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts (CCCEPA). Currently, Kara is a volunteer coach and choreographer for the Chattooga School of Gymnastics and Dance which is recognized internationally for their work in including students with disabilities and leadership for the USA Special Olympics gymnastics team. In addition to opening The Atlanta Dance Academy and establishing the TADA Foundation, Kara is a faculty member at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.In her role as a faculty member at Emory, Kara has focused on patient education, physician education, health literacy, and special population groups (e.g. seniors, chronic disease management and physical activity for all). Having worked with Grady patients for more than 20 years demonstrates Kara’s commitment to the underserved population. For years, Ms. Jacobson has wanted to bridge her passion for public health and dance, and she is now doing just that. This proposal is a first step into building a leading dance education and training center in Atlanta that embraces everyone.
TIMOTHY MEYERS – MORTGAGE/COMPLIANCE OFFICER AT FIRST LANDMARK BANK
TADA Board Treasurer
Timothy has extensive experience in training, management and employee development in retail, studio, and mortgage environments. His experience includes sales, human resources, payroll, training, scheduling, inventory management and managing teams of up to 35 employees while building and maintaining business relationships with outside vendors and clients. A native of Atlanta, and resident of Fulton county, Timothy started his dance career at Emory University, where he earned a B.A. in Music, and has been dancing professionally for 20 years. After touring internationally as a dance captain for “Up With People”, he moved to L.A. to continue his training at the EDGE Performing Arts Center. Timothy has performed internationally for Coca-Cola, GMC Truck, Home Depot, Reebok, Palmer Rox, Herbalife, the NFL, and the NBA on TNT. He has performed as a guest artist with Fleetwood Dance, The Atlanta Opera, Atlanta Dance Theater, and Decatur City Dance. Choreography credits include “A Passion To Dance”, the HRC National Banquet, Joining Hearts, “Seasons of Love”, ABC Family TV (“My Fake Fiance”), the Miss Georgia Pageant and Six Flags Over Georgia. Timothy has worked with the Atlanta Hawks Dance Team and the Georgia Force Cheerleaders, and has served on the faculty for the Dance Masters of America convention. Timothy continues to make a positive impact in the dance community.
FELICIA MORTON, MSPH
Board Secretary
Felicia James Morton, MSPH, CHES, is a Patient Education Specialist with Grady Health System. In this capacity, she is charged with creating, evaluating, and approving patient education materials for Grady Memorial Hospital and the Grady neighborhood clinics. She also conducts direct patient teaching at the bedside (discharge instructions) and via the Grady Smoking Cessation Program, and has created and implemented other wellness programs for outpatients and their families (arthritis exercise and management, stress management, and chair aerobics). In addition, she conducts regular trainings for nursing residents and staff on effective patient education and communication strategies. Felicia has over 25 years of experience in health communications and health behavior of at-risk hard-to-reach populations through her work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fulton County Health Department, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, and Grady. Felicia’s passion for health promotion and education extends to all populations, but her “favorite” audience is seniors, the target group of most of her programming at Grady. Her interests are also influenced by her parents, both of whom were healthy and physically active into their eighties. Her mother is currently involved with two line dancing groups and a senior exercise program. “I am convinced that dance and exercise have been the keys to my parents’ good health. Memorizing dance moves, following the calls, focusing on translating what is heard to a movement, and of course, fellowshipping with others have all contributed to keeping her mind, body, and soul alive…and happy!”A native of Atlanta, Felicia received a Bachelor of Science degree from Spelman College. Her interest in health promotion lead her to the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she earned the Master of Science in Public Health in Health Behavior and certification as a health education specialist. When she is not working, Felicia is active in her church, sorority, and community.
RUTH M. PARKER, MD, PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE
Emory School of Medicine
Dr. Parker attended Davidson College and received her medical training at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She completed her residency and chief residency at the Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York and her fellowship as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. She holds Board Certification in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Dr. Parker is currently Professor of Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine. She is also Associate Director of the Faculty Development program in the Division of General Medicine, and holds a secondary appointment at the Emory University School of Public Health in the Division of Epidemiology. Dr. Parker consults with various federal agencies (including the Department of Education, the office of the Surgeon General, the NIH, the CDC, HRSA, AHRQ) for proposals and organizational issues related to health literacy. She works closely with professional societies on their efforts to advance health literacy, and has consulted with numerous members of industry (including large health care provider organizations, chain drug stores, and members of the pharmaceutical industry) regarding their efforts to improve health literacy. Her interest in the TADA Foundation is that she believes art is critical to everyone’s lives.
CHAVOY TYSON - ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS LEADER
Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
Mr. Tyson is responsible for diagnosing the culture and effectiveness of leadership teams at achieving operational goals for nuclear power plants. In this capacity, he leads teams that evaluate the organizational effectiveness and nuclear safety culture of various stations. Since joining INPO in 2007, Mr. Tyson has held various roles including an operations and training senior evaluator, a Senior Nuclear Plant Manager course manager and assistant to an executive vice president. Before his current role Mr. Tyson lead teams to evaluate training programs and presented his findings to the accrediting authority. Mr. Tyson earned a senior reactor operator certification in 2008 from Florida Power and Light at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant. He also served in U.S. Navy, and qualified as an Engineering Officer in the U.S. Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry with Physics from the University of the Virgin Islands.
