2013-2014 DADC Board Members

Vaughn D. Irons is the CEO of Asset Property Disposition Solutions a national neighborhood revitalization firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. APD has a 20 year history of working with challenged assets and underserved neighborhoods impacting some 20,000 units over that time. In his capacity, Mr. Irons is responsible for providing strategic direction for all APDS business units including Community Development Consulting, Real Estate Acquisitions and Marketing Services, Asset/Property Management, Property Disposition, and Homeowner Retention/Loss Mitigation Strategies.

Prior to APD Solutions, Mr. Irons served for 12 years at Freddie Mac most recently as National Director of Housing & Community Investment. During that tenure he led a team tasked with assisting Freddie Mac’s customers in developing solutions to their community’s housing finance needs.

Mr. Irons has been involved in community-based housing/economic development issues where, in 2013 he was elected Chairman of the DeKalb County Economic Development Authority. Also, as president, he led the Atlanta-Fulton-DeKalb Housing Partnership and served as Vice-chairman for the Fulton County Housing Community Development Corporation. Irons is an active board member of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and Leadership DeKalb. His nonprofit appointments include the Women’s Resource Center Against Domestic Violence, YMCA of South DeKalb, Mercy Housing Southeast, the Neighborhood Development Foundation of New Orleans, and the Rockstone Foundation.

Mr. Irons holds a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Maryland, an undergraduate degree in Urban Policy from Syracuse University and a graduate-level certification in Housing and Community Development also from the University of Maryland College Park.

Kevin Greiner is president and CEO of Gas South, an Atlanta-based natural gas provider serving over 260,000 residential, business, and governmental customers throughout the states of Georgia and Florida. Kevin’s prior experience includes management positions with Southern Company. Kevin holds an MBA and MS from the University of Michigan. He also holds a BA from Wesleyan University. Kevin serves on the board of the United Way of Greater Atlanta, and chaired the 2012-13 workplace campaign, which brought in over $76 million of community investment. He is a member of the Georgia Chamber’s Board of Governors and serves on the Executive Committee. Kevin also serves on the boards of the DeKalb Chamber (including as Chairman in 2012) and ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions, and is currently Vice Chair for the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education. He is a member of Atlanta Rotary. Kevin resides in Decatur, Georgia, with his wife, Robyn, and their two children.

Lani Wong, Chair of NACA, has been at the forefront of community service and community leadership for nearly 30 years. She is a true pioneer in her vision and foresight in promoting U.S.-China relations, excellence in education, participation of Asian Americans in the American political process, and the importance of charitable organizations to serve the greater need of Atlanta community. Ms. Wong is a recognized community leader at the local, national, and international level.

Internationally – In December 2007, she receive the first annual International Luminary Award from Global ExecWomen. In March 2007, she was one of only five U.S. citizens to be invited to attend the 5th Session of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference as a nonvoting delegate. In 2004, the Chinese government reappointed Ms. Wong as Advisor to the 7th National Congress of All China Federation of Return Oversea Chinese and reappointed for the 8th term in 2009.

Nationally – In July of 2009, she receive the invitation to attend the dinner reception honoring PRC vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Cai Bingguo and their Ministerial delegations to the Strategic and Economic Dialogu with Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, and Secretary of the Treasure Timothy Geithner. In April of 2006, Ms. Wong received a special invitation to attend several functions during Chinese President Hu’s visit to the White House. Ms. Wong is a member of the National Committee on United States-China Relations.

Locally –The National Organization of Black Elected Legislative/Women name Ms. Wong as one of the 2008 Georgia Women Pioneers, she was voted four times by Georgia Asian Time in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 as one of the 25 most influential Asian Americans. . In 2008, she was on the Delta Air Lines Inaugural Flight to Shanghai and Governor Purdue China mission. In 2005, Ms. Wong received the Highest Phoenix Award from Former Mayor Franklin, and the following year accompanied Former Mayor Shirley Franklin on her China Mission trip organized by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

Gregory Baranco is president and CEO of Baranco Automotive Group consisting of Mercedes Benz of Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia and smart center Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Mr. Baranco graduated from Southern University in 1970, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. In 1999, he also received an Honorary Doctorate degree in Business from Southern University.

Mr. Baranco was a founding member of the General Motors Black Dealers Association (now known as the General Motors Minority Dealer Association) and the General Motors Minority Dealer Advisory Council, serving as the first President and/or Chair of both organizations. At the 2010 NAMAD Annual Meeting, Mr. Baranco was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” in recognition of his significant contributions to the automotive industry and for his spirit of diversity and inclusion.

Mr. Baranco is actively involved in his community. As the Founding Chairman of the Board of First Southern Bank in Lithonia, Georgia, he negotiated a merger with Citizens Trust Bank of Atlanta, Georgia. This merger made the new Citizens Trust Bank the third largest minority bank in the U.S. He currently serves on the following boards; Dekalb County Development Authority Trustee for Morehouse School of Medicine, Berry College, and the Carter Center Board of Councilor. Mr. Baranco is married to Attorney Juanita Powell Baranco and they have four children.

Judy Turner is President of Private Bank of Decatur. She is responsible for all Decatur market initiatives. Judy has been in banking in Metro Atlanta for over 45 years, having started with Citizens & Southern National Bank in the Personnel Department. She worked in Auditing, became one of the first Personal Bankers when C&S started its Personal Banker program, and became an officer of the bank in 1974. A year after C&S became NationsBank (1995), Judy had an opportunity to go to work in the Decatur Office of Bank South. Three years later Bank South was purchased by NationsBank and several community leaders felt a need for a community bank in Decatur. They looked to Judy to organize and lead Decatur First Bank, where she was President. Community involvement has always been important to Judy, who currently serves as President of the Decatur Book Festival, on the board of the Development Authority of DeKalb County, Trustee of the DeKalb History Center, Treasurer of Seniors Helping Seniors, on the board of the DeKalb Medical Foundation, on the Advisory Board of the Women’s Center and History Museum, and is a member of Decatur Rotary. She has served on the boards of both the Community Bankers Association and the Georgia Bankers Association. Judy lives in Decatur with her husband, Roy; they have a daughter and twin grandchildren.

Bobbie Sanford is a long-standing resident of DeKalb County. She and her late husband, Commissioner Porter Sanford III, founded Sanford Realty, the first minority-owned real estate company in DeKalb in 1965. Bobbie is currently the broker of Coldwell Banker Sanford Realty Company, Inc. and has a long-standing history of civic-mindedness and dedication to community service. She has received numerous awards and recognitions from a variety of business and civic organizations. In addition to previously being named Broker of the Year, Sanford is a charter member of Leadership DeKalb; President and Founder of the Wesley Chapel Community Overlay Coalition; a founding member of 100 Black Women of DeKalb; Founding Member and Past President of Stone Mountain Jack and Jill of America; Advisory Committee member of the Georgia Real Estate Commission Education; past member of the DeKalb Development Advisory Board; former member of the Transition Team for CEO-Elect Burrell Ellis; and a member of the DeKalb Life Long Senior Task Force and the Spring Valley Civic Association. Sanford has a BA degree in Education and French from Clark Atlanta University (formerly Clark College).

James P. Monacell is a partner at the law firm of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP practicing in Atlanta since 1978 in the areas of bonds, public law, public finance and project finance. Highly respected by his colleagues, he was named an Atlanta “Super Lawyer” by Superlawyers Magazine for the last eight years and was named one of the “Legal Elite” in bond and public finance by Georgia Trend in 2008. Also a graduate of the Regional Leadership Institute, Mr. Monacell has served as counsel to the State Road and Tollways Authority and other authorities.

Mr. Monacell was graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law where he was an editor on the Virginia Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif, and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the College of William and Mary. Jim has practiced in the bond and tax area for over 35 years.

Mr. Monacell is active in his field as a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers and is a fellow of the American College of Bond Counsel. Mr. Monacell’s public law experience includes negotiation and documentation of public-private partnerships, intergovernmental contracts, take-or-pay contracts, and leases and management contracts for public facilities. He also represents issuers, borrowers, underwriters, credit enhancers and corporate trustees in connection with bond offerings.

Mr. Monacell has written extensively on the subjects of public law and finance, public infrastructure financing and economic development. He participates in the Georgia Municipal Association and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, and is a member of the State Bar of Georgia. Mr. Monacell serves on the board of directors of the DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce and of the Association County Commissions of Georgia Civic Affairs Foundation.