Henry Kelly

Henry A. Kelly is a former Atlanta corporate executive with more than 30 years experience in corporate America. In May 2019 he fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming an entrepreneur by starting a logistics company, First Touch Logistics, that partners with Amazon.

In his diverse and wide-ranging career within corporate America, Kelly often acted as a change agent, charged by executive leadership with creating and implementing key strategic visions to enhance business and community engagement.

Kelly has worked in numerous leadership positions that touched on nearly all aspects of the corporation in areas such as community and governmental relations, statewide education initiatives, implementation of new technology, marketing at the national level and accounting functions.

In starting First Touch Logistics, Kelly has built a team of driver associates that has grown from 20 to over a 150 and over 50 fleet of vehicles. At First Touch Logistics, our focus is developing our employees to be the best at delighting customers and growing their professional careers.

Kelly has also been active in the community, including a term as chairman and president of 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc., an organization focused on financially supporting first generation African-Americans seeking a college education. He recently, along with his family, established an educational scholarship fund in the names of their parents.

Kelly has a BBA in Accounting from Augusta University and an Executive MBA from Georgia State University.

Sheryl Bennett, Chief of Staff for Atlanta City Council District 1, previously served as board chair for Moving in the Spirit from 2007-2009. She has returned at a transformative time for the organization, guiding Moving in the Spirit as it opens a new performing arts center, grows its programs, and becomes a destination for dance in Atlanta.

A community leader, connector, and visionary, Sheryl has been involved with Moving in the Spirit since its founding in 1986. Her daughter, Jillian, was taught by co-founder Leah Mann in their early classes at Grant Park Girls Club. Her son, Charles, followed after as an inaugural member of the Men in Motion program for boys and later as a leader in Moving in the Spirit’s touring Apprentice Corporation company.

Sheryl stayed connected to Moving in the Spirit over the next 30 years, helping the organization secure funding and performance opportunities to reach more young people. In 2006, she promoted Moving in the Spirit as we accepted national honors at the White House and celebrated our 20th anniversary. From 2007-2009, Sheryl served as board president, expertly steering us through programmatic growth and the beginning of an economic recession.

As Moving in the Spirit grows into its new home at Edgewood/Candler Park station, Sheryl looks forward to grounding the organization in its history while embodying the mission and moving into a bold future.

Malesha (a.k.a. Mali Irene) Taylor-Browning is a vocal artist, TEDx Speaker, strategist and the creator of The E.L.E.V.A*T.E. Framework: 8 Guiding Principles for BIPOC leaders and organizations. This framework is apart of her consulting practice as Founding Director of museSalon Collaborative (www.museSalon.org). Malesha is a proud Urban Bush Woman SLI Alum 2019 and has published articles with Arts for a Changing America and HowlRound. She has been a professor and/or guest lecturer at Harvard University, Spelman College, Scripps College- The Claremont Colleges, California State University, San Marcos and Clark Atlanta University.

Cynthia Belser brings over 18 years of experience in the financial industry to the Moving in the Spirit Board of Directors. Originally from Salina, Kansas, Cynthia discovered her love for dance at a young age, studying tap, jazz, and ballet at Vivette’s Dance Studio, where she also taught classes and assisted with production.

She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Washburn University, where she danced with the university’s Dancing Blues team. Her career began in retail and banking before finding a home in the Credit Union sector. Cynthia joined Georgia’s Own Credit Union in 2007, where she now serves as Director of Internal Audit, overseeing a team of auditors and reporting to the Audit Committee.

A chance introduction to Moving in the Spirit in 2022 reignited Cynthia’s passion for dance and community. She was drawn to the organization’s mission and felt an immediate sense of belonging. Cynthia is eager to combine her financial expertise and her lifelong love of dance to support the organization’s mission and growth, ensuring sound financial oversight and a vibrant future for Moving in the Spirit.

Angela Maselli Ballantyne is a seasoned nonprofit professional with deep experience in the Atlanta
philanthropic community. Working in and alongside Atlanta’s nonprofit sector for more than 15
years, she is passionate about partnering with organizations to create a healthier and more equitable
community.

As the Grantmaking and Operations Associate of the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation, she
works closely with the Executive Director to administer the grantmaking process, support the
Foundation’s nonprofit partners, and help manage the day-to-day operations of the Foundation. In
this role, Angela is committed to expanding access to education and mental health services for
families and communities throughout Metro Atlanta.

Before joining the Foundation, Angela served as a nonprofit consultant providing strategic guidance
and fundraising support for a diverse set of clients. Angela has extensive experience working in
development positions with Atlanta Ballet and Georgia Aquarium, and farther afield at Houston
Ballet. In these roles, Angela was responsible for executing comprehensive annual giving programs,
directing capital campaigns, managing individual prospect portfolios, developing communication and
solicitation strategies, overseeing donor stewardship events and programs, coordinating the work of
development staff and volunteer fundraisers, and analyzing donor data and giving trends.

A graduate of Columbia College and the Savannah College of Art and Design with bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in arts administration, Angela is also a 2017 graduate of LEAD Atlanta and a 2019
graduate of Arts Leaders of Metro Atlanta. She has served on numerous nonprofit boards and
continues to volunteer with several local nonprofits. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, dancing,
and exploring Atlanta’s arts scene with her twin girls, Margaret and Isabelle.

Helen has been a resident of Atlanta for 40 years.  She lives in Smyrna and has three adult girls. She grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a degree in economics. Helen moved to Atlanta after working in banking for three years in Chicago while completing her MBA-Finance @ DePaul University.

Helen has 39 years of commercial banking experience in the Atlanta area and retired from SunTrust/Truist in August, 2021. Helen’s focus was Not for Profit clients and prospects and was responsible for delivering credit/loans, depository, treasury management, investment and related banking services.  Prior to joining SunTrust, she was with PNC/RBC for 6 years and with Bank of America for 14 years where she was a Senior Client Manager working with not for profit and commercial clients.

Helen has been active in the not for profit community and served on Sheltering Arms Board for nine years and also served on the boards of Quality Care for Children and Communities in Schools of Atlanta.

Chris Marinac brings decades of leadership in financial services and research to his new role as Chair of the Development Committee at Moving in the Spirit. A long-time volunteer and supporter since 2014, Chris was first introduced to the organization at a fundraising dinner by Randi and Syd Williams—an evening that sparked a lasting connection. Over the years, he has collaborated with leadership on key initiatives, supported events, and played a vital role in the visioning and construction of Moving in the Spirit’s new home.

As Director of Research at Janney Montgomery Scott, Chris Marinac oversees the firm’s Equity Research team, which covers more than 225 companies within the Financials, Healthcare, Infrastructure, and Real Estate sectors. The team aims to provide first class research on companies and the industry at large—which means staying ahead of the curve, understanding investors, and considering how events today will affect the future.

Chris has more than 27 years of financial services and research analysis experience. Prior to joining Janney in 2019, he was Co-Founder and Director of Research at FIG Partners LLC, a premier investment banking and research firm specializing in community banks. At FIG, he established and managed an award-winning Equity Research team that covered more than 150 banks, thrifts, and REITs. Earlier in his career, he spent six years as Managing Director at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and five years as a Research Analyst at Wachovia Corporation (formerly Interstate/Johnson Lane Inc.).

He has served as a financial expert and resource to global and national media outlets including American Banker, Bloomberg, CNBC, Financial Times, FOX Business, and the Wall Street Journal.

Chris graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance. He is actively involved with Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities Inc., where he is serving his fourth, three-year term as a board member.

Garry Long is the Place Based Philanthropy Program Director for The Zeist Foundation. He lives in Edgewood and has served in leadership positions with Organized Neighbors of Edgewood and Neighborhood Planning Unit O.

Garry has served on the advisory board for several organizations including, The Neighborhood Fund at The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Horizons Atlanta Edgewood Site and Agape Youth & Family Center. He attended The University of Alabama and graduated with a B.A. degree in Business Administration. Prior to joining Zeist, Garry was a banking officer with SunTrust Bank.