ATLANTA (May 17, 2023) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that Partner Edward J. (“Jack”) Hardin has been selected as the 2023 recipient of the Hope Builder Award given by St. Vincent de Paul Georgia. Presented by former Mayor of Atlanta Shirley Franklin, the award recognizes Mr. Hardin’s outstanding leadership and commitment towards the betterment of the community. The award presentation was made during the Second Annual Morning of Hope, a breakfast event which focuses on why hope matters for individuals and families in poverty, amplifies voices of hope, and highlights exceptional work being done to help those in need and build communities of hope in Georgia, held on May 16. The 2022 Hope Builder Award recipient was Mayor of Atlanta Andre Dickens.
Mr. Hardin serves the community at large as the chairman of the Fulton County Board of Health, co-chair of the Regional Commission on Homelessness, president of the Georgia Legal Services Foundation, and chairman emeritus and founder of the Gateway Center, a homeless services center. Additionally, he is a member of the boards of Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation and Partners for Home, Inc., as well as vice chairman of the board of Georgia Works! Inc. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and founder of the National Committee for CARE USA.
Due to his extensive service, Mr. Hardin has been the recipient of numerous community service awards, including the 2022 Buckhead Rotary Club Annual Rev. Robert Ross Johnson Humanitarian Award; the 2019 Mercy Moves through Me Award; the 2018 Ben F. Johnson, Jr. Public Service Award; 2018 Heroes, Saints and Legends Award; and the 2018 VEO Hero Impact Award from the Veterans Empowerment Organization; In 2016, he received the Leadership Character Award from the Turknett Leadership Group and the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. Other awards include the Justice Robert Benham Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service from the State Bar of Georgia and the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism; the Emory Public Interest Committee (EPIC) Inspiration Award for Lifetime Commitment to Public Service; the Elbert P. Tuttle Jurisprudence Award from the Anti-Defamation League; the Centurion Award from Travelers Aid of Metropolitan Atlanta; the Alexis de Tocqueville Award by the United Way’s de Tocqueville Society; and Visionary Award by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institution.
Mr. Hardin is a partner in SGR’s Corporate Practice specializing in corporate law and governance, as well as banking and financial institutional law.
About St. Vincent de Paul Georgia
With a mission to provide help and hope to neighbors in need, St. Vincent de Paul Georgia has been serving individuals, families, and communities across the state since 1903, stabilizing those in crisis and creating paths to self-sufficiency through a focus on Hunger, Housing, and Health. St. Vincent de Paul Georgia is one of the oldest, largest, and most trusted state-wide social services safety net organizations in Georgia. For more information or to get involved, visit www.svdpgeorgia.org.
About Smith Gambrell Russell
SGR is a full-service, international law firm that advises regional, national and global businesses on a wide range of legal matters. The Firm’s nearly 400 attorneys provide legal counsel in more than 50 specialized practice areas, including corporate transactions, litigation, intellectual property, aviation, banking, real estate, insurance/reinsurance, construction, employment law, international, and employee benefits and executive compensation. Founded in 1893, SGR has 14 domestic and international offices, including Atlanta; Austin; Charlotte; Chicago; Jacksonville, FL; London; Los Angeles; Miami; Munich; New York; Southampton; Springfield, IL; Tampa, FL; and Washington, D.C.