Terry Tucker, a prominent voice in Atlanta’s nonprofit and for-profit worlds, has been named CEO of Families First.

Tucker, 42, is currently chief strategy officer and general counsel with the City of Refuge. He begins his new role with the Atlanta-based  in October.

“In the quest for CEO, we were thrilled to encounter Terry’s mix of creativity, passion, and respect for the power of data, all of which we expect to leverage to even greater impact on behalf of the children and families we serve,” Sunny Burrows, chairman of the board of Families First said in a statement.

Other reads:

The search for a successor to then CEO Kim Anderson began earlier this year.

Tucker admits he didn’t know a lot about the Atlanta nonprofit that promotes family self-sufficiency and helps provide stable homes for children through adoption and foster care.

“I’d heard about them,” he said. “When I started to dig in and see what hey did, it obviously struck a very personal chord for me.”

Tucker is the father of three adoptive sons.

“A big focus of the organization is changing the lives of children through adoption and foster care.”

He said a lot of agencies focus on placement. And, while it’s a big step, "it’s a first step. You have to be there until they can walk, run and fly by themselves.”

Tucker grew up  in Goshen, Ala., where a local Radio Shack manager  mentored him and taught the young Tucker about computers. By the age of 13, Tucker was teaching coding at the local technical college

About the Author

Keep Reading

Blooper celebrates the Atlanta Brave’s 5-0 win over the New York Mets during a MLB game Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at Truist Park. This year, the venue is a first-time host of the MLB All-Star game. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

Credit: Daniel Varnado for the AJC

Featured

Rebecca Ramage-Tuttle, assistant director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, says the the DOE rule change is “a slippery slope” for civil rights. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC