Ann Wilson Cramer, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, graduated from Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with a degree in mathematics. She is serving as a Senior Consultant with Coxe Curry & Associates after retiring from a long and successful career at the IBM Corporation, where she started as a Systems Engineer in Jacksonville and retired as its Director for IBM Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs for the Americas. Ann and her husband, Jeff, live in Inman Park and are active at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, where Ann has served as Senior Warden of the Vestry. They are the proud parents of two adult children, Megan and Wil and his wife Lauren.
Ann’s commitment to and involvement with children and youth has been a lifelong journey. Even though she is retired from her job at IBM, she continues her work with the improvement of conditions for families and children.
In support of those priority faith and focus areas, Ann served as chair of the Atlanta Public School Superintendent Search Committee! Ann currently serves as chair of the Atlanta Partners for Education and as the past chair of the following – Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE), the Carter Center Board of Councilors, Communities- in-Schools Georgia, the Georgia Chamber’s Education Committee, Voices for Georgia’s Children, Georgia Shakespeare Festival and the Georgia Chapter of the International Women’s Forum.
Ann is currently on the boards of the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, the Metro Atlanta Chamber Education Committee, the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development and the Georgia Public Education Foundation. She serves on several non-profit organization boards including the Council on Foundations, Woodruff Arts Center, the Alliance Theatre Company, Public Broadcasting Atlanta (PBA), the ARC Educated SubCommittee, UGA Board of Visitors, the Hands-on-Atlanta Advisory Board and the Atlanta Cities of Service board. And currently chairs the Advisory Councils for the Alliance Theatre, Imagine-It the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, TechBridge and CHRIS Kids. And she recently rotated off the boards of the Georgia Center for NonProfits, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Project GRAD, and Year-Up Atlanta.
Likewise, she has served on the Executive Committee of the Council on Foundations as chair of both the Policy and Corporate Committees, chair of the United Way of America’s National Corporate Leaders Council, chair of the Conference Board’s Business Education Council, the Executive Committee of both the US Chamber’s Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) and the Institute for Competitive Workforce, the Independent Sector’s Membership Committee, , the Center for Corporate Citizenship Advisory Board at Boston College and the Southeastern Council on Foundations Communications Committee. BCLC awarded Ann with its first Lifetime Achievement Award in Corporate Citizenship.
In support of children, youth and education, Ann most recently chaired the Workforce Development Task Force for the Governor’s Commission for a New Georgia. Ann has chaired the Governor’s Child Protective Services Task Force, served as Chairman of the Governor’s Commission on Children and Youth and co-chaired the Governor’s Welfare Reform Task Force, the Governor’s Policy Council for Children and Families and the Grady Foundation, the Governor’s Action Council for Safe Kids and led a team developing Voices for Georgia’s Children.
Recently, Ann was recognized with the first Lifetime Achievement Award by the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Women Who Mean Business listing, she received an Honorary Doctorate in Public Service at Clayton State University and was honored with the inaugural ARC Harry West Visionary Leadership Award and the BIG Voice for Children award from Voices for Georgia’s Children. And in 2013 Ann received the prestigious Dan Sweat Award from Central Atlanta Progress (CAP), as well as the United Way Women’s Leadership Award and in 2009, Ann was the first to receive the “Essence of Atlanta” Award at the 41st Anniversary of Outstanding Atlanta. She was recently honored with the Georgia Center for Non-Profits 2011 Revolution Legendary Philanthropist Award and named by Atlanta Woman Magazine as the Power Woman of the Year,”25 Atlantans to Watch,” Legacy of Leadership by the Global Executive Women, inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame and awarded Georgia’s 1st Visionary Leadership Award, Leadership Atlanta’s Legacy of Leadership Award, the Lexus Leader of the Arts, the Shining Star recognition from the Atlanta Women’s Foundation, the first Narrowing the Digital Divide Award, the Andrew Young Public Policy and Faith award, Leading Ladies and Women Making the Mark distinctions, the Georgia Council for Economic Education’s prestigious VanLandingham Award, the Urban League’s 2000 Distinguished Community Service Award, the LifeTime Achievement in the Arts, Outstanding Achievement in Child Advocacy and she has received the 1988 11-Alive Community Service Award, the 1983 Georgia Volunteer of the Year, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Public Service Award; 1991 Alumnae Leadership Award for Salem College, and the 1990 DECA Award, one of ten outstanding business women in Atlanta.
Ann is past chair of the United Way of Metro-Atlanta, Leadership Atlanta, Research Atlanta, the Arts and Business Council; the WorldClass Schools Foundation; past president of the Junior League of Atlanta, Inc. and was selected by the YWCA for its first Outstanding Women of Achievement Recognition in 1984. She has participated in Leadership Atlanta, Leadership Georgia and the Regional Leadership Institute, is a member of Outstanding Atlanta, and chaired Leadership Atlanta’s 25th Anniversary Celebration. Also, she chaired the Volunteer Task Force for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG), was appointed the public member and has served as the Chairman of the Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.