Savannah, GA, September 29, 2026 – The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) announced today that Shan Cooper, trailblazing businesswoman and civic leader, and Doug Hertz, leading businessman and philanthropist, have been named the 2027 Georgia Trustees. It is the highest honor the State of Georgia can confer.
They will be inducted by the Georgia Historical Society and the Office of the Governor as Georgia Trustees on April 24, 2027, at the Trustees Gala in Savannah.
“Shan and Doug are the living embodiment of the Georgia Trustees motto ‘Not for Self, but for Others,” said Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society. “Their selfless leadership and record of service are an inspiration and an example for us all. Every organization they have touched is better and stronger as a result.”
In conjunction with the Governor’s Office, the Georgia Historical Society reestablished the Georgia Trustees in 2008 to recognize Georgians whose accomplishments and community service reflect the highest ideals of the founding body of Trustees. The original Georgia Trustees were a governing body chartered and appointed by His Majesty King George II of England in 1732 to establish a new colony in North America. They founded Georgia upon the principle of Non Sibi, Sed Aliis, Not for Self, but for Others. The Governor annually appoints new Trustees whose history-making accomplishments and service reflect the original Trustees’ ideals.
Shan Cooper
Shantella E. Cooper is the Founder and CEO at Journey Forward Strategies, LLC, a solutions-focused consulting firm that specializes in leadership development and organization effectiveness. Cooper also serves as a Senior Advisor to McKinsey Consulting.
Cooper made her name as vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, where she was responsible for the 6,000 employee operations in Marietta, Georgia, Meridian, Mississippi, and Clarksburg, West Virginia. While at Lockheed, she also served as the first Corporate Vice President of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, where she led the company’s cultural transformation to a new age of inclusivity and equality.
After Lockheed Martin, Cooper served as the Chief Transformation Officer of WestRock and as Executive Director for the Atlanta Committee for Progress.
Her influence extends to various boards, including Intercontinental Exchange, Inc., SouthState Corporation, Veritiv Corporation, and Southern Company. She’s also deeply engaged in institutions such as Grady Health System, Emory University, Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), Georgia Historical Society, and more.
Cooper was named to Georgia Trend Magazine’s Hall of Fame, Georgia Trend’s 2015 Most Respected Business Leader, and the 2015 Women of the Year by American Association of University Women. She also named one of Black Enterprise magazine’s Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America in 2017.
Cooper earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and religion from Emory University and a Master of Business Administration from the Roberto Goizueta Business School of Emory University.
Doug Hertz
Douglas J. Hertz is Chairman and CEO of United Distributors, Inc. He became the company’s president and CEO in1984, and under his leadership United experienced tremendous growth and is one of the top privately held companies in Georgia. The Atlanta Business Chronicle has consistently named Hertz as one of Atlanta’s 100 most influential individuals.
Hertz is also Chairman of Camp Twin Lakes, a camping facility he founded in 1989. The camp is designed for, and serves, nearly 13,000 special needs children and adults annually.
He serves on the boards of Atlanta Committee for Progress, Narrative Content Group, and is a past Chairman of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Georgia Research Alliance, SouthState Bank, Woodruff Arts Center, a past president of The Temple, and a past director of Georgia Power Company. Hertz currently serves as a trustee for the Marcus Foundation and the Holly Lane Foundation. He has served on the Board of his alma mater, Tulane University, for fifteen years, serving as chairman from 2017-2020. The Governor appointed him to the Georgia Ports Authority Board in 2019, where he continues to serve.
Georgia Trend Magazine named him the state’s most respected business leader in 2018. Hertz and his wife, Lila, were honored by the Georgia Association of Philanthropy as the 2017 Philanthropists of the Year.
Hertz attended Westminster High School and then Tulane University, earning a BA in history, and an MBA in accounting and finance.
Previous Georgia Trustees
Previous inductees are Saxby Chambliss, Christopher Womack, Walter M. “Sonny” Deriso, Craig Menear, Dr. Louis Sullivan, Carol Tomé, Dan Amos, Donna Hyland, Dan Cathy, Shirley Franklin, David Abney, Juanita Baranco, Robert L. Brown, Jr., Robert S. Jepson, Jr., Frank Blake, John Schuerholz, Edward H. Bastian, W. Paul Bowers, F. Duane Ackerman, A.D. “Pete” Correll, James H. Blanchard, Muhtar Kent, Alana Smith Shepherd, Paula S. Wallace, Arthur M. Blank, William Porter “Billy” Payne, Truett Cathy, Herman Russell, Tom Cousins, Andrew Young, Vincent J. Dooley, Sam Nunn, Henry Aaron, Robert Edward “Ted” Turner, Bernard Marcus, and Marguerite Neel Williams.
For more information about the 2027 Georgia Trustees, please contact Keith Strigaro, Director Public Relations and Communications at the Georgia Historical Society, at kstrigaro@georgiahistory.com or by phone at 912.651.2125, ext. 153.
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ABOUT THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia and American history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation.
To learn more visit georgiahistory.com.
As part of History Belongs to Us All, the Georgia Historical Society invites all Georgians to discover, learn from, and help share the stories that shape our shared past. Explore programs, resources, and ways to connect with Georgia history at georgiahistory.com/historybelongstousall.