Barry Steig

Project Director

I relocated from New York City to Atlanta in my mid-20’s as the city was bidding to host the 1996 Centennial Olympic Summer Games and was on the short list of locations for UPS Corporate Headquarters relocation. The excitement of choosing a new city with big aspirations prompted me to seek opportunities in the civic community.

For the next decade, I would solicit private sector funds to support the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s economic development efforts. During this time, I was privileged to work closely with dedicated civic and business leaders who collaborated in lock-step to improve the quality of life and advance the economy of the region.

Over the years I have been involved with many successful campaigns and have raised approximately $75 million to advance economic development initiatives and philanthropic efforts. I am proud to have a successful track record fundraising for important causes and look forward to many more years in this field. Barry is a proven achiever in major gifts development and capital campaign strategy and execution. His expertise encompasses nonprofit organizational development, project management, executive level volunteer management, conflict resolution, and strategic planning.

Over the past several years, Barry led two successful economic development public-private partnerships in relatively small markets to nearly $6 million in pledged commitments. His management of a Birmingham, AL  foundation’s campaign netted $7.1 million to fund a Cradle-to-College-to-Career Education Pipeline.

As Director of Development, Department of Neurology for the respected Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA, he led the department’s major gifts program to a record-setting gifts total of $8.6 million in fiscal year 2012. Barry also solicited and closed a $5 million pledge from an Atlanta foundation to initiate an Alzheimer’s research trial.

Additional notable fundraising experience includes work completed for the Atlanta Metro Chamber of Commerce. During his tenure, he procured millions of dollars and recruited over 700 new members. His diverse background makes Barry a multi-sector fundraising asset.

Summary of Experience

• Recent notable campaign experience includes:
  • Georgia Chamber of Commerce – $8 million for a five-year strategic plan.
  • The Woodlawn Foundation, Birmingham, AL – $7.1 million to fund a Cradle-to-College-to-Career Education Pipeline.
  • Jonesboro Unlimited, Jonesboro, AR – $3.7 million for economic development initiatives.
  • Enterprise Group, Jackson, MS – $2.1M for economic development initiatives.
• Collaborated with business and Metro Atlanta Chamber executives on strategic development of two successful Forward Atlanta campaigns and was the #1 development officer for these campaigns.
  • During his tenure with the Metro Atlanta (GA) Chamber:
  • Achieved #1 monthly development officer status 38 times.
  • Identified, recruited, and retained more than 700 new members.
  • Averaged 85% retention rate.
• Productive stints in business to business sales opening new markets.
• Nonprofit board member for health-related organizations in Atlanta.
• Bachelor of Science, Philadelphia University, College of Textiles and Science. Additional business administration coursework at Northeastern University, Boston, MA.