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Despite having never seen an episode, Hala Moddelmog (’79)\u00a0is no stranger to the AMC TV show,\u00a0\u201cThe Walking Dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople will literally stop me,\u201d says Moddelmog, \u201cand say, \u2018oh, you live where \u2018The Walking Dead\u2019 is shot.\u2019\u201d Known for Coke, CNN, \u201cGone with the Wind\u201d, and now, \u201cThe Walking Dead,\u201d Moddelmog is attempting to change many of these common perceptions, and misperceptions, about Atlanta. Moddelmog is President & CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) and the first female leader in the Chamber\u2019s 154-year history. \u201cWe have to disrupt the way Atlanta is viewed by the outside world,\u201d says Moddelmog. \u201cBut we also have to disrupt the way we see Atlanta.\u201d<\/p>\n
The concept of change, or disruption, has never been foreign to Moddelmog. After all, she attended Georgia Southern at a time when it wasn\u2019t exactly the \u201cpopular\u201d choice. Moddelmog grew up Hartwell, Georgia, a small town located about an hour and a half northeast of Atlanta. It\u2019s a place that helped shape and mold her early personal values and interests. \u201cMy father had exceedingly high expectations,\u201d says Moddelmog. \u201cThere was no difference between what he expected of me versus my brother. I learned how to change the oil in the cars at 14 and cut grass as soon as I weighed 97 pounds. He also thought I should know how to bake pound cake because in the south that was \u2018important.\u2019 I made maybe one or two and that was the end of my cooking career. And it hasn\u2019t started back yet,\u201d jokes Moddelmog. She says her father believed that if you had the energy and brains it was your responsibility to be engaged in life and really live. The Moddelmogs didn\u2019t have a TV for many years. Her father thought kids needed to be reading, playing, and being involved in the world. \u201cWhen I was young I used to think I\u2019d like to be the president of something, but I didn\u2019t know of what,\u201d says Moddelmog.<\/p>\n
At 17, Moddelmog faced a personal disruption. A senior in high school, her mother died. \u201cMy mother had unconditional love for me,\u201d says Moddelmog. Growing up in Hartwell, Moddelmog was about 45 minutes from UGA (University of Georgia). She had friends going to school there and visited the campus often. But with Georgia Southern being three hours away, it really seemed like \u201cI would be \u2018going away.\u2019\u201d Moddelmog recalls her older brother trying to convince her to reconsider her decision to become an Eagle and go to a university, not a college. \u201cI was very stubborn,\u201d she says. \u201cI was like \u2018my mother just died. I\u2019m just going to go down there by myself.\u2019 It was almost a rebellious act to go to Georgia Southern. I really just wanted to be independent, but I\u2019m so happy I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Georgia Southern, Moddelmog majored in English because she \u201cloved it.\u201d She calls the Georgia Southern English department \u201ctop-notch\u201d and \u201cenergizing.\u201d \u201cI would put my English professors at Georgia Southern up against anyone,\u201d says Moddelmog. \u201cThey opened up a whole new world for me in terms of literature and studying human behavior.\u201d In addition, she appreciated the diverse student population. \u201cYou might think back in the 70s, small college in the south, that there was only one type of student but I really didn\u2019t find that,\u201d she says. \u201cI was surprised at some of the diversity of thought and interests.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once Moddelmog left Statesboro, mentors became a larger part of her life. She decided to go to journalism school because she still loved the written word. Her goal at the time was to just get through the program and get a job so she could eat. Within the first few weeks, Moddelmog\u2019s major professor had her start her thesis. Ironically, her research paper would be on cable TV, a luxury she never had growing up. It examined consumer behavior. Afterward, Moddelmog went to Atlanta to interview at Arby\u2019s for a sales analysis job. \u201cHere I was an English and journalism major but the guy in the marketing department who hired me knew that if I\u2019d done a research paper then I could do the math.\u201d Moddelmog remembers the man asking, \u201cdo you know why I\u2019m hiring you for this job?\u201d \u201cI said \u2018no,\u2019\u201d Moddelmog laughs now. \u201cHe said that so many people they hire can\u2019t write, so if I was an English major then he knew I could. At the end of the day, we need people who can communicate and who can write.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1995, Moddelmog became the first woman to lead an international Quick-Service Restaurant brand when she was named president of Church\u2019s Chicken. Since then she has led the Arby\u2019s Restaurant Group as well as Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and now the Chamber. \u201cI think it\u2019s an important milestone for the organization (MAC) because Atlanta has been like a lot of other cities, with primarily male leaders. Nineteen ninety-five doesn\u2019t sound long ago, but it shows you how far we\u2019ve come. But I think for this organization to put its trust in a female leader is a good symbol for the region.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moddelmog wants to inspire other women to dream, overcome fears and reach their own goals. \u201cI feel I have an obligation to make sure that women are taking the risk that they need to take in order to set higher goals,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not part of the job description, but if Atlanta is going to be all it can be then we should include everyone in the mix and that certainly means giving women opportunities.\u201d As a CEO for 19 years now, Moddelmog\u2019s other advice: \u201cTry to find something you love to do and do something that you love; feel genuine passion and be engaged in your role. Be eager, enthusiastic and passionate. Set out to solve a problem. Those are the people others want to hang out with. And just be authentic. Also, don\u2019t forget that if you\u2019re not disrupting yourself or disrupting something in your business then there\u2019s a bigger chance that you or your business or nonprofit will become irrelevant. I truly want to disrupt myself so that I\u2019m learning. It\u2019s no fun to stop learning.\u201d<\/p>\n
In fact, one of the aspects that Moddelmog enjoys about MAC is their commitment to education advocacy. \u201cOne of the wonderful things about the state, and this includes Georgia Southern, is that we have a tremendous amount of superior universities that are turning out smart people that we want to stay in this region,\u201d says Moddelmog. \u201cFor example, the construction management program at Georgia Southern is renowned. It\u2019s pretty unique and there\u2019s such a need for it. MAC works with places like Georgia Southern to connect them with the companies that are members of ours\u2026 We are definitely givers. We have something called the \u2018Atlanta Way,\u2019 which is our way of getting together and trying to solve a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Telling stories is vital. One of the things MAC is charged with is the marketing of the region and getting to the roots of who we are, says Moddelmog. \u201cToday, there are so many ways to deliver the message to the person the way that person likes to get their information,\u201d says Moddelmog. \u201cAn English major will take and get different messages delivered to them to motivate them to move to Atlanta than an engineering major,\u201d she says, \u201cbut it still encases the storytelling and the ethos and the purpose of why we\u2019re here and what makes us special.\u201d<\/p>\n
The University strives for this mission as well. In 2001, Moddelmog was selected to oversee the University\u2019s own \u201cCampaign for National Distinction,\u201d which went on to surpass its fundraising goal by $13 million. \u201cWhen I went to Georgia Southern it was a sleepy little college. Maybe 6,000 people? No football team\u2026 Then I went out into the world, got married, had kids and got to be president of Church\u2019s. When I got involved in the Campaign, I had a chance to look back at what the College had done\u2026 I was awed by the progress and growth. I was really interested in helping the students. It was important to me that Georgia Southern be involved on a global level and not isolated. It could have stayed a sleepy little college if somebody hadn\u2019t had the foresight and get up and go to make it a University and make it what it is today.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is what makes being a part of the Eagle Nation unique. The University is focused not only on superior education, but securing jobs for graduates as they enter today\u2019s real world. Georgia Southern is spearheading workforce development, along with organizations such as the Metro Atlanta Chamber. \u201cWe talk to companies, find out what they need, share that with colleges and try to do some pairing up,\u201d says Moddelmog. Georgia Southern then makes sure the degrees that they\u2019re turning out match. Moddelmog believes that \u201cgetting great professors that fill specific jobs will help raise our national distinction.\u201d She says the University is positioned to fulfill particular skill sets\u2014the construction management piece is just one. \u201cWhat I\u2019ve learned is a great professor will attract the great students,\u201d says Moddelmog.<\/p>\n
In the midst of years of professional success, came another personal disruption with the potential to take the life she loved\u2014her own\u2014when Moddelmog was diagnosed with breast cancer. \u201cI was very fortunate because I discovered it early,\u201d recalls Moddelmog. \u201cI was already loving my life. It was so full. So it (cancer) didn\u2019t make me want to change my life at all. But it makes you want to really be present every day. You realize every day is precious.\u201d Moddelmog says being at Komen and in the chemo room and seeing what other people experienced, that was the hard part. \u201cI had the means and personality to make sure I got the best care. But I realized that there are many people who didn\u2019t have an advocate in the fight\u2026 and there\u2019s something about the term breast cancer survivor I don\u2019t like. We\u2019re really all breast cancer thrivers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through it all, her family has been alongside her every step of the way. \u201cI\u2019m extraordinarily fortunate,\u201d says Moddelmog. \u201cI\u2019ve been married for 29 years and my husband is very loving, giving and just so accepting of all the things I want to do and try to get done in the world. And he\u2019s an incredible father.\u201d As far as their children, her son is 28 and her daughter is now 26. She says kids keep you grounded. \u201cIf something were to be wrong with my kids that is the only thing that could stop me in my tracks.\u201d Right now, her son is getting his MBA at the Wharton School. \u201cHe\u2019s going to come back to Atlanta,\u201d says Moddelmog. \u201cThe joke around the Chamber is if I can\u2019t get my two Millennials to come back to Atlanta, then we\u2019re not going to achieve that disruption we\u2019re trying to accomplish.\u201d Her daughter is in Chicago pursuing her Ph.D., working with children on the autism spectrum. \u201cI hope to get her back here as well. I\u2019m just so fortunate with my family\u2026 If I have to pick anybody to spend time with, it\u2019s the three of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moddelmog credits Georgia Southern for giving her her start. She remains proud of having a hand in the University\u2019s growth and admires the special place it\u2019s become in higher education throughout Georgia and beyond. \u201cI have a friend in a nearby state whose daughter wants to go to Georgia Southern,\u201d says Moddelmog. \u201cIt\u2019s her number-one choice and that was refreshing to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Without a doubt, Moddelmog wants to have an impact, not only on the people of Atlanta but within the entire region and beyond, and knows she can do it in her role as MAC president. \u201cI believe wholeheartedly in that diversity of thought I first experienced at Georgia Southern,\u201d she says. \u201cI always want to be engaged. Speaking to young people, I tell them to just do what they want at the time and do it the best way they can and other doors will open\u2026 that\u2019s the business model everyone should aspire to.\u201d – Michael J. Soloway<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hala Moddelmog (\u201979) First Woman to Lead Metro Atlanta Chamber<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5285,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[46],"class_list":["post-2352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","tag-fall-2014"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}