Georgia Southern University Alumna and President and Chief Executive Officer of Susan G. Komen for the Cure Honored

December 2, 2009

Georgia Southern University alumna Hala Moddelmog, president and chief executive officer of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is the recipient of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Distinguished Alumnus Award. Moddelmog is the first alumnus of Georgia Southern University to receive the national award.

Moddelmog, who earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Georgia Southern University in 1979, joined Susan G. Komen for the Cure in September 2006. As a six-year breast cancer survivor and former Fortune 500 executive, Moddelmog has a passion for championing women’s issues and community engagement.

‘Hala is not only an outstanding alumna of Georgia Southern University, she is a global leader and driving force in the fight to end breast cancer,” said Bruce Grube, president of Georgia Southern University. ‘We are extremely proud of Hala and we are very thankful for her continued commitment to Georgia Southern University.”
Moddelmog, a former Fortune 500 executive, has been a strong supporter of Georgia Southern University having most recently served as the Chair of the institution’s Capital Campaign for National Distinction. With a goal of $40 million, she led the campaign that ultimately topped $53 million for the University. She has also served on the Georgia Southern University Foundation Board of Trustees, was named College of Liberal Arts Alumna of the Year in 2000 and was awarded the distinguished Alumna of the Year for the University in 2007.

Prior to joining Susan G. Komen for the Cure, she served as founder and CEO of Catalytic Ventures, a private equity firm that consulted and invested in the food service industry. She was the first woman in corporate America to lead an international QSR brand in 1995 when she was named president of Church’s Chicken, a division of Atlanta-based AFC Enterprises. She subsequently led Church’s to record sales and profit performance. She also held executive management and marketing positions at Church’s Chicken, Arby’s Franchise Association and BellSouth.

Globally recognized for innovative leadership and strategic brand development, Moddelmog has served on the boards of Leadership Atlanta, the Atlanta Police Foundation, the B.B. King Museum Foundation and Women Looking Ahead magazine. She is a recipient of the Women’s Foodservice Forum Emerging Leader Award, the International Franchise Association Bonny LeVine Award, the Restaurant Hospitality Rising Star Award and the Roundtable for Women in Foodservice Pacesetter Award. In 2003 she received the Women of Achievement Award from the YMCA of Greater Atlanta.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 115 degree programs serving more than 19,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor, master and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.

The award, one of the Association’s highest national honors, was conferred on Nov. 24 at the AASCU’s Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX.