Today, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce named Shan Cooper as the recipient of the 2025 Blanchard Servant Leadership Award. Originally established as the Blanchard Leadership Award by former Synovus Chairman of the Board & CEO Jim Blanchard in partnership with the Georgia Chamber, the award was revived for presentation at the Chamber’s 2025 Congressional Luncheon.
Cooper is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Journey Forward Strategies, LLC, a solutions-focused consulting firm that partners with organizations committed to improving and achieving sustainable results by ensuring alignment between their business and people strategies. Shan founded Journey Forward Strategies LLC following a distinguished career, serving as the former Executive Director for the Atlanta Committee for Progress and the former Chief Transformation Officer of WestRock. Prior to this, Cooper’s role as Vice President and General Manager at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company showcased her expertise in leading operations and business ethics. While at Lockheed, Shan also served as the first Corporate Vice President of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, where she led the company’s cultural transformation to a new age of inclusivity and equality.
The Blanchard Servant Leadership Award was presented as part of the 2025 Congressional Luncheon in Columbus. The Blanchard Servant Leadership Award was presented immediately after the W.C. Bradley Company was announced as the inaugural winner of the Georgia Chamber Corporate Citizenship Award…