Katie Kirkpatrick

Katie Kirkpatrick is the president and CEO of the 162-year-old Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC). Kirkpatrick is known for her public policy prowess, courageous leadership and more than a decade of driven impact through her work at MAC.

Previously MAC’s chief policy officer, Kirkpatrick served as the link between the metro Atlanta business community and local and national government. She galvanized the Public Policy team’s priorities in business climate, educated workforce, transportation and sustainability – including water, energy and the environment. The Public Policy team continues to fight to protect Georgia’s top-rated business climate against legislation discriminatory in nature or harmful to the region’s ability to create, recruit and retain jobs.

Kirkpatrick joined the Chamber in 2007 as vice president of environmental affairs, previously serving in numerous roles directly related to environmental policy and water-related issues. Kirkpatrick later served as the Chamber’s senior vice president for business higher education, leading the execution of key initiatives strengthening the region’s higher education ecosystem and workforce development. Before joining MAC, she served as director of environmental engineering for Gold Kist, Inc., with responsibilities in regulatory compliance, designing treatment systems, strategic planning and more.

Kirkpatrick currently serves on the GRACE Commission, comprised of public officials, law enforcement, businesses and nonprofit organizations, committed to ending human trafficking in the State of Georgia and the City of Atlanta. She is a vice-chair for the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District and a past board chair for the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership. She is also a member of the board of directors for the Atlanta Track Club and Chair of the Atlanta Track Club Foundation.

Kirkpatrick is a current member of Rotary Club of Atlanta and the International Women’s Forum. She is a member of the board for Central Atlanta Progress and executive committee member of Learn4Life – an initiative working to advance educational outcomes for students in metro Atlanta. In 2022, Kirkpatrick was named one of Georgia Trend magazine’s 100 Most Influential Georgians; one of Atlanta Magazine’s Atlanta 500, ranking top leaders in the region, and the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “22 to watch in 2022.”

As a graduate from Auburn University, Kirkpatrick is a registered professional engineer in several states and a member of the school’s 100+ Women Strong group of successful female engineering alumnae and the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council – a group of alumni who work together to support the vision and goals of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. Kirkpatrick is an alumna of Leadership Atlanta, a program designed to propel established leaders to further serve their communities. She is a volunteer with youth sports leagues in metro Atlanta and a member of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church.