Revonda Cosby (third from left), the incoming Executive Director of the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance with members of the Board search committee and outgoing Executive Director Mera Cardenas (second from right).
The board of the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance announced today (Dec. 4) that Revonda Cosby has been selected to succeed Mera Cardenas as the Alliance’s executive director. Cosby will begin in the new role on Thursday, Dec. 5, as Cardenas helps her to make the transition into the lead position.
Cardenas, who had served the nonprofit for nearly a decade, announced in October that she would be leaving Arabia to serve another National Heritage Area in Cleveland, Ohio.
Cardenas said Cosby is well prepared to guide the Arabia Alliance, bringing two decades of experience in parks and recreation, nonprofit management and historic preservation.
“We are thrilled to have somebody taking over this role who is so skilled, excited and who already has such a deep knowledge of this area,” said Cardenas, who will assist Cosby transition into her new role during the month of December. “I am confident that I leave the organization in good hands.”
Cosby has a long and varied career in many fields relevant to the National Heritage Area. On the ground, she has worked in community development, public space marketing, historic preservation and natural resource management. Cosby also has considerable executive and management experience, including corporate and regional strategic partnerships, non-profit engagement and intra-government relations. She has held leadership roles in DeKalb County’s Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Affairs; Wesley House; IHC Global; and the Nature Conservancy; among other organizations.
“On behalf of the 16-member board of the AMHAA, we are thrilled, after a comprehensive search committee process over the last two months, to have selected such an excellent new Executive Director in Revonda,”Board Chair Ron Williams and Treasurer Kelly Jordan said in a statement.
The Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance works with partners throughout the 40,000-acre Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, located in three counties southeast of Atlanta, to protect and promote a nationally significant landscape. Encompassing a mix of greenspace and historic sites connected by trails, the AMNHA tells the story of the granite mountains and rural communities that have defined the Georgia piedmont. The Arabia Alliance preserves history, conserves landscapes and increases awareness of the National Heritage Area for the benefit and the enjoyment of all.