Kinnis Leonard for Vice President, Emerging 100 of Atlanta

Why I serve

My purpose is simple: to help people be free from anything holding them back from reaching their full potential.

I grew up in rural Alabama, raised by a single mother in a low-income household, often living with relatives weeks to months at a time while we got our footing. My father was around, but inconsistent. The steady example was my grandfather, a preacher who led by example. Much like me, he was not a man of many words; he observed more than he spoke, and what he said carried wisdom. From him I learned to carry the burdens of the people around me.

Statistically, I shouldn't have achieved the upward mobility I have. But I kept climbing, helped by the neighbors, coaches, and uncles who poured into me when they didn't have to. I know what it is to have the odds stacked against you, and that one person showing up at the right time can change everything. That's why I serve: to lift that weight off someone so their mind is free to grow, and to go hardest for the next generation, because I was once in their shoes. Beyond any skill, what I bring is empathy, listening, and a belief that you reap what you sow.

Empathy first Strategic mind Servant leader INFJ-A A safe space for brothers

The mission

To enhance the mentoring and tutoring programs of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc. with a focus at B.E.S.T Academy High School and on the Collegiate 100, while serving as role models to the entire community. The Emerging 100 of Atlanta

I've lived this mission from both sides.

I was once the young man it exists for: a kid who needed mentors and role models, and was carried by the ones who showed up. Men poured into me before I ever had anything to give back, and that changed the direction of my life. Today I stand on the other side of it, mentoring students, pouring into the next generation, and working every day to be the example my community gave me. I don't just believe in this mission. I'm proof of what it can do.

Why Vice President

Where service meets systems.

The Vice President carries the organization day to day: supporting the president, strengthening our committees, and making sure every brother's experience lives up to what The E promises. That's the work I'm drawn to, and the work I've already been doing.

Inside The E, I helped bring in one of our largest membership classes as Membership Chair, and I took our community service work to another level as its Chair. And in organizations beyond The E, I've already been doing the exact work the Vice President does: supporting committee leads and members, building rigorous data-tracking processes for impact and accountability, leading large-scale projects that mobilized hundreds of volunteers, forming strategic partnerships, and pouring into the people I lead. Everything I plan to do for Emerging 100, I've already proven I can do.

By profession, I build the systems and read the data that keep organizations running well. And I show up the same way every time, present, consistent, and steady. That's the difference between wanting this role and being ready for it. And I'll lead the way I've always served: with authenticity.

I'm ready to do the work.

The professional edge

I do this work for a living.

By day, I'm a data analytics and business intelligence professional. My work is making sense of information, building systems that run, and helping leaders make clear decisions. The Vice President's office calls for the same instincts, and I bring them with me. My goal is to run Emerging 100 of Atlanta like the legitimate corporation it is, so we operate with excellence and earn the respect that comes with it, in local rooms and national conversations alike.

Build the systems

Make the work repeatable.

I turn scattered effort into systems that run smoothly and get easier to carry forward each year.

Track what matters

Measure the impact.

I turn activity into clear, honest measures, so the good we do is something we can see, trust, and build on.

Tell the story

Make it land.

I translate the complicated into the clear, so members, leaders, and partners can act with confidence.

The record · in evidence

I don't ask you to imagine the work. I tracked it.

I built impact tracking into the work I led so we could measure outcomes, not just complete events. Here is what we counted together.

Verified through impact tracking I implemented across three programmatic years.

1,300+

Volunteers tracked across community service initiatives, alongside nearly 3,900 service hours given to Atlanta.

7,500+

Hygiene kits and care packages delivered to the community, plus 2,300 meals and food bags and 850 backpacks.

1,400+

Toys distributed through the Holiday Toy Drive, with joy delivered where it was needed most.

100%

Growth in tracked service initiatives, from 4 to 8 in a single year, part of 20 initiatives supported over three years.

40+

Community service projects organized while I led outreach at LIIV Atlanta (2023 to 2025), mobilizing more than 1,000 volunteers.

2×

Membership grown on the Meals on Wheels Atlanta Young Professionals Board: at our TASTE event, YPs drove 25%+ of revenue and 60%+ of ticket sales.

Numbers are only the beginning. Behind each one are real people served, and staple programs built to outlast any one chair.

The staple programs I help carry

Chase Back to SchoolSupplies and a strong start for students heading into the year.

Together TailgateBrotherhood and community in the same place, year after year.

Holiday Toy Drive1,400+ toys delivered where they were needed most.

Membership Chair · in practice

One of our largest classes ever, in a fraction of the time.

As Membership Chair, working alongside a committed membership committee, I helped bring in a class that tied for the largest in chapter history, and we did it in a two-month recruitment cycle instead of the usual three. We rebuilt the process that brings new brothers in along the way. The wins below belong to the whole team. My role was to build the system that set them up to succeed.

120+

Applications received

64

Interviews conducted

34

New brothers inducted

All in a two-month recruitment cycle, instead of the usual three.

Mentorship from day one

Mentorship training used to happen up to two months after induction. We made it part of membership orientation, so no new brother starts out disconnected.

Placed by talent, not left waiting

I reviewed each new member's profile and, with the committee, matched every brother to a committee that fit his strengths, so they contributed from week one instead of months later.

A sharper, fairer process

We revised the application and interview process to be more efficient and respectful of everyone's time, without ever lowering the bar.

In the field

The work behind the numbers.

Mentorship and service across Atlanta: toy drives, food pantries, days of service, and time given alongside partners who share the mission.

Emerging 100 brothers and volunteers at Together Tailgate — Together Tailgate 2025, brothers and volunteers

Kinnis Leonard presenting at the Meals on Wheels Atlanta TASTE awards — Meals on Wheels Atlanta TASTE awards, as Young Professionals Board Chair

Toy drive with TruFoundation at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Brothers volunteering at Meals on Wheels Atlanta — Meals on Wheels Atlanta, National Volunteer Week 2026

LIIV Atlanta team at MLK Day of Service outside Ebenezer Baptist Church — LIIV Atlanta MLK Day of Service, Ebenezer Baptist Church 2024

Experience · prepared to serve

Service across the Brotherhood and the city.

I've served The E across community service, membership, advising, and mentoring, and carried that same posture into civic leadership across Atlanta.

Kinnis Leonard welcoming guests at the Rogue Elephants film premiere — Welcoming guests to the **Rogue Elephants** film premiere.

Within The E

Emerging 100 of Atlanta

Community Service AdvisorSince 2025

Membership Chair2025

Unsung Hero Award2025

Community Service Chair2023 to 2025

B.E.S.T Academy & Collegiate 100 Mentor2023 to 2025

Beyond The E

Civic & community leadership

Meals on Wheels ATL, YP Board ChairSince 2024

Board Member, Mission GainesvilleSince 2025

MoW ATL Influential Tastemaker Award2024

LIIV Atlanta Impact Award2024

Hands On Atlanta Civic Leadership Grad2025

Change Church · Elite MADE MEN Cohort2026

Partnerships I have helped nurture

DeltaGas SouthComcastCoStarWalmartMcDonald'sRestoring Ones HopeHands On AtlantaMeals on WheelsTruFoundationMargie's HouseGA NFL Alumni Assoc.

The platform · three priorities

One promise, in three movements.

Equip the brothers. Elevate the systems. Expand the impact. Each priority builds on the last, and each one is something we can measure.

Kinnis Leonard speaking at a podium to a seated audience of Emerging 100 members — Encouraging the **Class of 2025** at their induction.

01Equip

Empower Members & Equip Leaders

A stronger organization starts with supported members and equipped leaders. Our chairs and members deserve the clarity, resources, and guidance to serve well and stay engaged all year.

Success looks like

Regular VP office hours for members and committee chairs
Chairs given tools, timelines, and support, not left to figure it out alone
Workload shared by capacity, so no chair carries it all
A leadership pipeline that grows men beyond their titles
A members' directory to connect by industry, interest, and neighborhood
Special-interest groups where brothers gather around shared passions and professions, fellowship, and trade knowledge and expertise
A continuous-learning fund that helps cover brothers' growth expenses, like books, courses, and certifications, so cost is never the reason a brother stops leveling up
A personal wellness scorecard for every brother, tracked across the year, with built-in accountability that helps each man build healthy habits and consistency, physically, mentally, and emotionally, so we grow into stronger men for the long term

02Elevate

Improve Systems & Operational Excellence

A stronger organization requires stronger systems, the discipline that lets The E run with the rigor of a serious, professional organization. As The E grows, our work should get easier to execute, easier to track, and easier to repeat, never starting from scratch each year.

Success looks like

Templates, checklists, trackers, and repeatable playbooks
Deeper use of our project tools so knowledge is preserved
Visible accountability: owners, deadlines, and progress tracked
Live engagement dashboards that show who is participating, so we can celebrate active brothers and re-engage the ones we are missing
Centralized committee communication that adds cross-committee visibility, so committees work together instead of in silos
More efficient GBMs, committee meetings, and chair meetings: more real talk as men, more fellowship

03Expand

Grow Impact Through Data, Partnerships & Storytelling

A stronger impact requires a stronger story, and stronger data to support it. We must measure what we do, tell it well, and build partnerships rooted in shared goals.

Success looks like

Easier ways to obtain the data behind our work, so decisions are guided by real information, not guesswork
A robust database tracking both brothers' and mentees' journeys
A CRM for partner relationships, volunteer tracking, and fundraising campaigns, with automated follow-up so no one slips through the cracks
New revenue streams beyond events: individual giving, corporate matching, and donor-advised fund (DAF) gifts
More volunteer opportunities that turn first-time helpers into long-term donors and advocates
Impact reports: who we served, what changed, and why it matters
Partner profiles and annual sponsorship tiers, not one-off asks
A job board connecting our students and talent to corporate partners

The journey

Years of showing up.

Service, brotherhood, recognition, and the people who make it worth it. A record you can see.

Kinnis Leonard with a brother at a black-tie gala

Emerging 100 and LIIV Atlanta volunteers at the Atlanta Community Food Bank

Kinnis Leonard with brothers of the Emerging 100 of Atlanta

Brothers of the Emerging 100 at a community event

Kinnis Leonard with community members at a formal event

Brothers volunteering on a Team Up service project

Kinnis Leonard with the TruFoundation team at a holiday toy drive

Emerging 100 mentorship and meal service for students

Kinnis Leonard with a brother at an Emerging 100 event

Brothers of the Emerging 100 at an NFL Alumni Georgia community event

The ask

Prepared to serve. Proven through action.

My candidacy is rooted in service, consistency, and a proven commitment to The E. I'm ready to support our members, equip our chairs, sharpen our systems, and deliver on our mission for the next generation. I'd be honored to have your vote for Vice President.

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