Children’s CEO Donna Hyland Named 2023 Georgia Trustee

ATLANTA (April 24, 2023) – Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is excited to announce that Donna Hyland, CEO, was appointed by the Office of the Governor and inducted by the Georgia Historical Society and U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock as the newest Georgia Trustee this past weekend at the Trustees Gala. Hyland was inducted alongside Dan Amos, CEO and Chairman of Aflac Incorporated. This recognition is the highest honor the State of Georgia can confer.

In conjunction with the Governor’s Office, the Georgia Historical Society reestablished the Georgia Trustees in 2008 as a way of recognizing 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 Office of the Governor annually appoints new Trustees whose history-making accomplishments and service reflect the original Trustees’ ideals.

“Donna Hyland and Dan Amos 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. “The impact of their remarkable leadership is felt daily here in Georgia and throughout the world, making them worthy of this high honor. We were proud to recognizing their many accomplishments and celebrate the ideal they represent at their induction ceremony.”

For 36 years, Donna Hyland has helped shape the delivery of healthcare to children in Georgia and beyond. First as Chief Financial Officer, then Chief Operating Officer and now as Chief Executive Officer, Hyland has overseen monumental growth and achievement at Children’s. She was instrumental during the merger of Egleston Children’s Health Care System and Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Center, as well as the addition of Hughes Spalding and Marcus Autism Center, which led to the formation of what is now one of the largest pediatric healthcare systems in the country. Today, Hyland is focused on transforming the future of pediatric care with the opening of Arthur M. Blank Hospital, scheduled to open in fall 2024.

Children’s is consistently ranked as a top pediatric hospital by U.S. News & World Report. Hyland’s dedication to pediatric healthcare has resulted in recognition as one of Atlanta’s and Georgia’s most influential leaders.

Her commitment to the community extends outside of Children’s, where she serves on the boards of Atlanta Committee for Progress Inc., Cousins Properties Incorporated, Genuine Parts Company, Georgia Research Alliance, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, Ryan Seacrest Foundation, Stone Mountain Industrial Park, Inc. and Truist Atlanta Advisory Board.

Former Children’s Board Member Dan Amos, CEO and Chairman of Aflac Incorporated, was also inducted as a Georgia Trustee alongside Donna Hyland. Since 1995, support from Dan Amos and Aflac Inc. has helped make the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center one of the leading pediatric cancer and blood disorders programs in the country. To date, Aflac Inc., which is headquartered in Georgia, and its Aflac Field Force have donated over $167 million to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center—making the company the largest corporate supporter of Children’s.