The Head Of The Chick-Fil-A Foundation Is Leaving To Start His Own Nonprofit

Rodney Bullard, who has served as the head of the Chick-Fil-A Foundation for more than a decade is leaving the organization to start his own nonprofit.

Bullard told the Atlanta Business Chronicle that he is leaving his post as the foundation’s executive director and vice president of social responsibility to focus on “a passion of mine.”

“As I move forward, I am taking Chick-fil-A’s genuine ethos with me as I follow my calling to focus more keenly on building economic mobility for our communities,” Bullard, who helped build the Chick-fil-A Foundation into one of Atlanta’s largest company-sponsored charities, told the Chronicle.

Bullard added the new nonprofit will be designed in the spirit of the Beloved Benefit borne out of Chick-Fil-A that is supported by national companies including FedEx, Home Depot, and UPS. This year, the Beloved Benefit raised more than $6 million to foster greater economic mobility in Atlanta areas including Vine City and English Avenue.

Bullard sports an impressive résumé. The US Air Force Academy graduate and former NASA and DoJ employee is an alum of Harvard Business School, and Duke Law School. Additionally, Bullard is an author and said his nonprofit will bring additional support to Georgia’s communities.

“We want to focus on bringing people together in a fashion that allows us to focus on economic mobility,” Bullard said. “When we think about economic mobility, we think about education, we think about employment and we think about entrepreneurship. How can we further those areas, both programmatically and also philanthropically?”

Bullard told the Chronicle he will officially announce his new nonprofit organization next month during a  meeting of Beloved Benefit stakeholders at Mercedes Benz Stadium, home of the New Orleans Saints. According to the veteran, the new nonprofit could provide educational scholarships as well as partnerships that will connect entrepreneurs with their local municipalities.