Meet Our New Executive Director!

Meet Emily Laney, our new Executive Director!

Emily Laney, LSMW has over 10 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and higher education. Having pursued leadership opportunities since her teen years, Emily is excited to be part of the team at Girl Talk. Emily previously served as the Development Director at New American Pathways, where she elevated the organization’s external presence and exceeded fundraising goals each year. Prior to her time at New American Pathways, she led the Refugee and Immigration Services and Disaster Response programs at Inspiritus (Formerly Lutheran Services of Georgia) for 6 years where she expanded programming and diversified funding for the departments. She served as the Chair of the Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies (CRSA) in 2018 and is currently on the advisory board of The Welcome Co-op, a collaborative effort for refugee resettlement in Georgia. Emily is a licensed social worker for the state of Georgia and a Part Time Instructor of Human Services at Kennesaw State University, where she teaches courses on poverty, community organizing and internship seminars. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Services and Master of Social Work from Kennesaw State University. Emily is married to Brent and a mom of two girls. Emily enjoys reading, running, yoga, exploring new places and cuisine, and spending time with her family. She is excited to bring her passions and experience to Girl Talk!

What does the Girl Talk tagline, Leadership Defined, mean to you?

I first began pursuing leadership opportunities when I was a teen, and upon learning about the mission of Girl Talk, I wished I had experienced such an amazing program when I first began to lead. Leadership is more than just skills, it’s about taking care of your whole person so you can lead and serve alongside others- and our programs at Girl Talk do just that! I also think Girl Talk’s mission of inspiring confident leaders is pivotal to supporting this next generation of young women as we work together to create more equity in our society. As we define and refine ourselves as leaders, we can do amazing things together.