Bill Bolling is the founder of the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB) and has served as its executive director since 1979. In this capacity he oversees the distribution of millions of pounds of good but unmarketable food and grocery products each year through a network of more than 600 nonprofit partner organizations that feed the hungry, as well as other food banks throughout the southeast.
He is a frequent speaker on topics related to hunger, poverty, regionalism, affordable housing and public policy reform. His skills in bridging various public sectors have made him a leader in strengthening the community to serve those most in need. Prior to his association with the Food Bank, he served as director of community ministries for St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta.
Born and raised in Lexington, North Carolina, Mr. Bolling holds degrees from Central Piedmont College and Appalachian State University in Business and Education. He received his Master of Arts degree in Psychology and Counseling from West Georgia College in 1976. In July of 2003, he attended Harvard Business School, completing a course on Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management. He has served as an adjunct professor in the School of Management at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and has taught classes at Georgia State, Emory and Oglethorpe Universities.
Mr. Bolling is a charter member of the Board of Directors of Feeding America, the national network of food banks. He currently serves on the Atlanta Falcons Advisory Board, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Regional Commission on Homelessness, and the Nonprofit Advisory Committee of the Andrew Young School at Georgia State University. He is founder of the Atlanta Housing Forum, begun in 1988, and continues to serve as moderator of the Regional Housing Forum. He is past chair of the Board of the Regional Leadership Forum (now the Regional Civic League) and the State of Georgia Housing Trust Fund Commission.
In January of 2012, Georgia Trend Magazine named Mr. Bolling their 2012 Georgian of the Year, and the magazine has consistently named him among their 100 Most Influential Georgians. Awards include the 2009 Shining Light Award presented by Atlanta Gas Light and News/Talk 750 WSB, the 2009 Beacon of Light Award presented by BoardWalk Consulting, the 2005 Ethics Advocate Award presented by the Southern Institute for Business and Professional Ethics, Atlanta Regional Commission’s Golden Glasses Award for Visionary Leadership, the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award, the Sidney Marcus Public Service Award of the Atlanta Fulton County League of Women Voters, UNICEF’s Child Survival Award, Georgia Department of Community Affairs Housing Champion Award, Atlanta Urban League Distinguished Community Service Award, and the John Van Hengel Hunger Fellow Award presented by Feeding America.
