Emily Ellison, AGS Co-Founder

Emily Ellison is a 6th generation Georgian who moved permanently from Atlanta to St. Simons Island in 2015. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the St. Simons Land Trust, a nonprofit that focuses on land conservation and environmental education and outreach and has protected more than 1,000 acres on St. Simons Island, Georgia, over the past two decades.

She spent nearly 20 years as a nonprofit leader in Atlanta, first as the visionary and co-founder of Atlanta Girls’ School, followed by a five-year tenure as President and Executive Director of Literacy Action, Inc., and finally as CEO of the YWCA of Greater Atlanta.

She has also worked as a journalist and book editor, and is the author of several books, including the novels First Light and The Picture Makers. She is married to former publisher and editor (and current five-day-a-week golfer) Chuck Perry. They are the proud parents of one adult daughter, Elli Perry, who was the inspiration for AGS when she was a fourth grader at Sarah Smith Elementary School.