Bill Bolling
Associate Director
Bill Bolling served as executive director of the Atlanta Community Food Bank since founding the organization in 1979 until June 2015. Bill was instrumental in the start-up of food banks across the country. Prior to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, he served as director of community ministries for St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta.
Bill Bolling served as executive director of the Atlanta Community Food Bank since founding the organization in 1979 until June 2015. Over the span of 36 years, he led the Food Bank’s distribution of more than half a billion pounds of food and grocery products through a network of more than 600 local and regional partner nonprofit organizations that feed the hungry across 29 Georgia counties. As a charter member of Feeding America, the national network of food banks, Bill was instrumental in the start-up of food banks across the country.
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 ACFB, 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 University of West Georgia 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.
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.
Georgia Trend Magazine named Bill their 2012 Georgian of the Year, and in January 2015, he joined Georgia Trend’s Most Influential Hall of Fame. His recent awards include the 2015 Dan Sweat Award presented by Central Atlanta Progress, the 2015 Heroes, Saints and Legends Award presented by the Foundation of Wesley Woods, the 2014 Award for Distinguished Service presented by the Atlanta Business League, the 2009 Shining Light Award presented by Atlanta Gas Light and News/Talk 750 WSB, and the 2009 Beacon of Light Award presented by BoardWalk Consulting. In 2007, Mr. Bolling was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Sponsors of Morehouse College. Prior awards include 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.
