Team

Dave joined the Foundation in 2005. Before joining the Foundation, Dave retired as the Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Georgia Region. During his 22-year tenure with the Secret Service, Dave served as the Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Investigations, as well as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Presidential Protection Division, serving under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush. Dave was awarded the Distinguished Service award from President Bush for supervision of agents/decisive actions on September 11, 2001. Dave lives in Brooks, Georgia with his wife, Renee, and his two sons, Jacob and Jonathan.

Marshall Freeman serves as Chief Operating Officer where he is responsible for creating innovative programs, events and opportunities that engage existing and prospective partners of the Foundation. He leads a team that manages programs and initiatives designed to prevent and decrease crime, enhance public safety infrastructure, increase police visibility, provide mid-career training to Atlanta Police Department officers, and test and acquire state-of-the-art technology for the south’s largest urban police force. For the previous 18 years, Marshall has managed large-scale events across the country and developed strategy for many celebrity clients. Marshall is a proud graduate of Johnson & Wales University and native of Detroit, Michigan.

Courtney Collins serves as the Vice President of Operations and Administration. She is responsible for overseeing all Operational and Administrative functions including accounting & finance, human resources and board management. She brings more than a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector. She is an active member of the Junior League of Atlanta, currently serving on its Public Policy & Political Affairs committee. Courtney received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees (Master of Public Administration & Policy) from the University of Georgia and is a proud “Double Dawg!”

Karen Rogers serves as the Director of Community Development.  She is responsible for managing the operations of the Westside and Southside Security Plans, crime and safety initiatives that integrate crime control and reduction with neighborhood revitalization.  With 18 years of experience in governmental community development, she serves as the Foundation’s liaison responsible for strategic planning, community and partner engagement, land acquisition as well as officer housing and At-Promise Center development. In addition, she administers operations for the Westside Blue Security Patrol and the Westside Advisory Board.   Aside from community development, Karen is a native of Atlanta and has been heavily involved over the years in volunteerism and service to various non-profit boards and commissions.  She received her Master of Science in Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University.  Through her dedicated leadership the Foundation has become a household name on the Westside.

Aaron Nicholson serves as the Director of Youth Programs where he is responsible for leading the At-Promise Youth initiative which focuses on developing strategic programs centered around keeping young people out of the criminal justice system and increasing the number of positive interactions youth have with law enforcement. A native of Harlem, New York, Aaron has spent the past 20 years focused on creating thought-provoking programs through experiential learning. Since joining the Foundation, Aaron created the first youth/law enforcement mentoring program, aimed at creating opportunities for youth and APD officers in specialty units, such as Mounted Patrol and Path Force to participate in mentor/mentee relationships.

Lakeisha Walker serves as the Assistant Director of Youth Programs and oversees day to day facility operations of the At-Promise Center. She is responsible for managing the At-Promise Youth Initiative, ensuring program integrity and implementation and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders. Lakeisha has spent the last 16 years serving various Atlanta communities, through collaborative programming, with a focus on youth.  She is a native Atlantan and takes pride in overseeing juvenile crime reduction programming in the Historic Westside community where she grew up. Lakeisha has a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Bauder College and believes a youth’s home environment and community resources have a huge impact on how their personalities and priorities are formed.

Sergeant Ronald Paxson is the Director for the Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta program. He has been with the Atlanta Police Department for nine years. Sergeant Paxson has been received numerous awards and commendations during his time with APD including the Judge Arthur Kaplan Community Service Award in 2013, The Atlanta Police Department Commendation Award in 2016, the Atlanta Bar Association Officer of the Year Award in 2016 and the Atlanta 300 Club Officer of the Year Award in 2017. He served Southwest Atlanta for much of his career, working on crime suppression, was appointed to Investigator in 2015 and then promoted to Sergeant in 2018. Sgt Paxson was raised in Buffalo NY, but now calls Atlanta home. He is happily married and  a hero to his son and two daughters.

Sarah Walker serves as the Annual Giving Manager where she is responsible for the Atlanta Police Foundation’s Pennington Society, campaign giving, and Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta Board. She utilizes her creativity and development experience to establish and grow partnerships, raise awareness, encourage engagement, and drive revenue. Sarah graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BS in Hospitality Management and a minor in Communications and Public Relations. She is also the recipient of the University’s Leadership Distinction in Professional and Civic Engagement. With previous experience in various non-profit organizations, Sarah is dedicated to making a positive impact in her community and the Atlanta Police Foundation.

Danielle Cobos graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a B.A. in International Studies and Communications, with minors in Japanese and Journalism. She also earned the Epley Undergraduate Certificate in International Public Relations. During her undergraduate career, Danielle spent a year abroad at Oita University in Japan where she studied Japanese language, culture, history and linguistics and taught English as a second language. Upon returning to the States she joined the World Affairs Council of Charlotte, a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)3 organization, which serves as a regional center for education and discussion of world affairs, serving as a Public Relations intern. After graduating in 2012, she was hired full time as the Program and Membership Manager. In 2015, she was promoted to Senior Program and Membership Manager. Danielle joined the Atlanta Police Foundation as the Events & logistic Coordinator in 2016. She is an experienced event manager, membership coordinator, and customer service representative with experience related to international affairs, communications, fundraising, program management and member relations in the non-profit sector.

Lauren Watts serves as the Technology and Innovation Programs Manager where she is responsible for leading the Operation Shield initiative as well as a number of innovation projects and pilot programs. Prior to joining the Atlanta Police Foundation, she worked in Commercial Ventures and International Business at the world’s most travelled airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree with honors from Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and her Master of Arts Degree with Honors from the University of North Georgia. As both degrees focus on economic development, Lauren has gained years of experience managing a diverse list of international and domestic projects that are both traditional and non-traditional revenue driven in an effort to maximize organizational profit while nurturing meaningful relationships. She is an experienced project manager with a passion to drive meaningful growth throughout the City of Atlanta.

Harry Smith serves as the Program Manager for officer related programs. He is responsible for programs such as Secure Neighborhoods, tuition reimbursement, Atlanta Police Leadership Institute (APLI), advanced crime fighting training and officer retention and recruitment. Harry attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI (go green, go white!) where he studied social sciences. He brings over a decade of real estate project management, maintenance and construction experience.  Harry recently relocated from Detroit, MI and lives in Buford with his wife Crystal, four children and two cats, where there is never a dull moment.

Curtislene Bass serves as a program manager responsible for the establishment of the Metro ATL Crime Lab chartered to conduct and provide ongoing research and analytics of the crime statistics of metro Atlanta in collaboration with Georgia State University – Department of Criminal Justice.  Before joining the Foundation, Curtislene retired as the marketing program manager for the US federal accounts at IBM. During her tenure with IBM, Curtislene had opportunities in sales, training and marketing throughout the US and internationally.  She is excited about joining the Foundation to use her professional experience to further expand the impact of the Foundation on the city as well as live out a lifelong dream to be involved in law enforcement.