CEO of Gwinnett life sciences park to join nonprofit buyer of Northlake Mall

The top executive of a multibillion-dollar life sciences campus in Gwinnett County is switching jobs to a different nonprofit that recently undertook its own ambitious project at Northlake Mall.

Mason Ailstock on Tuesday stepped down as president and CEO of the Rowen Foundation to become president of Atlanta-based nonprofit Centurion Foundation, according to a news release. He’s expected to lead higher education services for Centurion, which last week closed on a deal to acquire Northlake Mall in Tucker.

Ailstock was Rowen’s first chief executive, overseeing a 2,000-acre project that aims to become Georgia’s version of North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. Located equidistant from colleges in Atlanta, Athens and Gainesville, the project called Rowen landed its first tenant earlier this year: a $2 billion facility with 330 employees by global biopharmaceutical giant UCB Inc.

“Founding a new organization is never easy,” Sachin Shailendra, Rowen board chair, said in the release. “Mason helped establish the partnerships, culture and momentum that position Rowen for long-term success.”

Biopharmaceutical giant UCB plans a 460,000-square-foot facility at the Rowen project in Gwinnett County. (Courtesy of UCB)

Work on the Rowen campus officially broke ground in 2022, kicking off $32 million of infrastructure preparation, including road and utility integration. Rowen last year also announced the project’s first vertical construction, a 10,000-square-foot event and workspace center. It will eventually anchor a mixed-use village with apartments, restaurants, a hotel, parks and retail.

“Together, we have laid a strong foundation for what comes next,” Ailstock said of Rowen in the release. “And I have every confidence that the organization’s best days are still ahead.”

“I am grateful for the opportunity to have been part of bringing Rowen to life during these formative years and am excited to see what the future holds for the organization,” Ailstock told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement. “It has been a privilege to work alongside so many outstanding partners in building the foundation for what Rowen will become.”

His new employer, Centurion, was thrust into headlines last month after several tenants at Northlake Mall were told to pack up and leave the property in 30 days. Centurion emerged as the mall’s buyer, but public records of the purchase have yet to show up in DeKalb County records.

Aerial view of Northlake Mall on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Northlake Mall is evicting a number of tenants under reports of a potential sale. Part of the mall was converted to offices occupied by Emory Healthcare, which won't be impacted. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Emory Healthcare, which has leased 274,000 square feet at the mall since 2019, said it will expand its footprint through a new lease that will more than “double that occupancy.” The organization said, “The newly leased space will provide additional capacity to consolidate Emory Healthcare business functions and support future operational needs.”

Ailstock told the AJC that, “The Emory project predates my arrival to Centurion.” Centurion did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

It’s also not clear the full scope of Emory Healthcare’s expansion and if other mall tenants will be affected. Sports bar Dugan’s previously said it would remain at the property. Macy’s also said last month it had “no announcements to make” regarding its now-closed store at the mall, which it still owns.