KAY R. ATKINS

Senior Counselor

Kay Atkins brings a wealth of management experience to each of the nonprofit organizations with whom she works. Her career has spanned all aspects of nonprofit organizations in her roles as CEO, board chair, donor, volunteer, coach, funder, teacher and community activist. Kay has the dedication and enthusiasm needed to be highly effective in helping clients in the current environment and into the future. A skilled leader, mentor, collaborator and team builder, she facilitates and nurtures the creation and development of effective alliances.

Kay’s management skills, team building, creation of effective alliances, and her many other skills were honed and perfected as CEO of a multi-county health and social services organization. These skills were her hallmark as an effective organizational and community leader. Her early experiences as an educator in college, high school and community settings, really focused her energies into helping individuals and groups make a positive difference in their families and their communities.

Her career has spanned over 25 years as an Educator and President/CEO of a southeastern Ohio nonprofit organization. She has worked with various state and federal organizations in the arenas of public policy development, fundraising, community relations, and community needs identification.

Kay was energized by the opportunity to lead United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s Healthy People Vision Council for several years. As she lead the focus on health, she fostered the development and support for synergies and formal and informal alliances between organizations, public and private.

She is a member of the Cincinnati Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and a member of its Ethics Committee. Kay has served 3 years as Examiner Leader for the ONE Awards (Organizations of Noteworthy Excellence). The ONE Award recognizes best practices among nonprofit organizations in the Greater Cincinnati Region.

Kay is active in the community, with a variety of organizations including serving as Vice President of the Cincinnati Rotary Foundation and Vice President of the Rotary Club of Cincinnati. Currently, she Chairs the Southwest Ohio Rotary PR Partnership, a coalition of 7 clubs; is President-elect of the Children's Dental Care Foundation Board; an elder at Knox Presbyterian Church and serves on the Committee on Preparation for Ministry of the Presbytery of Cincinnati. She received the Rotarian of the Year Award in 1998 from the Athens Rotary Club.

After attending Albion College and Eastern Michigan University, Kay obtained a Master’s degree in Family Relations/Child Development from Ohio University. She attained these goals while raising three children and helping her husband finish his education.

Kay lives in Mount Washington and enjoys the many cultural opportunities offered by Cincinnati, especially music, theater, and the arts. She is a member of the Knox choir, which helps sharpen her musical interests and knowledge. Kay treasures her children, their spouses and her grandchildren, sharing activities whenever possible.