The People Behind the Village
Our Team
Behind every founder win is a team that helped make it possible. Ours shows up every day to build a vibrant community where startups get to do their best work.
Together, we help power the 3rd largest startup community in the country and we're just getting started.
The People Behind the Startup Community
We are only as great as the sum of our parts. Lucky for us we have a team of innovative, kind, and crazy smart people who help make this community run smoothly. We exist to serve and support our startups on their quest to change the world. We also like to think we are pretty darn fun to be around. We hope to meet you soon!
Powering Atlanta Tech Village
The people behind ATV are what makes the Village work. Get to know them.
David Cummings
Founder
A proud Duke graduate and accomplished entrepreneur, David is the reason Atlanta Tech Village exists. After an extraordinary bootstrapped exit at Pardot, David invested in Atlanta and the startup community by purchasing our 100,000 square foot building and creating the vision for the Village. Addicted to startups, David is CEO of Atlanta Ventures and an avid investor - having invested in over 25 startups. You also might have seen him in the news - it happens so often that ABC (Atlanta Business Chronicle) is now short for All ‘Bout Cummings.
What I wanted to be when I grew up: software entrepreneur -- I'm a geek :)
Two truths, one lie: Taught myself to code from a book in 8th grade, after Pardot was sold I bought an island, and I named one of my first companies after my hometown street.
David Cummings
Founder
David Lightburn
Co-Founder
The "other" David leads our team, setting the culture while communicating and implementing the Village's vision, mission, and strategic goals. As Co-founder and President, David has been intimately involved with the creation and growth of Atlanta Tech Village - from the closing table in December 2012 through concept, design, and construction to facilities and programming - transforming a run-down 1980s office building into Atlanta's startup hub. David's also the Founder of Clickscape|Village Realty, but his most important startups are his 3 kids who are seeing some real traction lately. Oh and chances are he's taller than you.
What I wanted to be when I grew up: A player-owner of the Atlanta Hawks
Two truths, one lie: I ran a marathon on a bet; One of my first forays into entrepreneurship was a line of super punny greeting cards; Someone once set my hair on fire at a house party.
David Lightburn
Co-Founder
Aly Merritt
President — ATV
WHAT I DO
I keep the wheels on the bus while building a faster one. That means constant conversations — with Villagers, partners, investors, the team, and ecosystem folks — plus the strategic work to make sure ATV is growing in the right direction.
PROUD OF
The matchmaking. Over the years I've been in the room when a founder met their first investor, co-founder, or customer. Watching someone go from "I don't know where to start" to "we just closed our first check" never gets old.
FUN FACT
I was born in Tonga and spent my early years on a boat (recovering hippie parents). Yes, really. No, I can't sail anymore. Yes, it explains a lot.
Aly Merritt
President — ATV
Mike Johnson
VP, Brand + Growth - ATV
WHAT I DO
I lead brand, marketing, business development, and growth initiatives across ATV's locations — connecting strategy to the stories and systems that drive the Village forward.
PROUD OF
Building ATV's growth infrastructure from the ground up — from HubSpot CRM to content strategy — and launching Terminus Hub as Atlanta's newest creative and tech space.
FUN FACT
Doctoral candidate in Organizational Change & Leadership at USC, host of the Unscripted YouTube channel, and most likely working out somewhere around Atlanta when he's not in the office.
Mike Johnson
VP, Brand + Growth - ATV
Kelly Anne O'Neill
Executive Director — ATV Foundation
WHAT I DO
I lead the ATV Foundation's mission to advance economic mobility through entrepreneurship — creating educational resources, connections, and opportunities that help founders at every stage thrive.
PROUD OF
Building partnerships with Invesco, Truist, and Coca-Cola that directly supported hundreds of entrepreneurs and startups. Those relationships continue to fuel real impact across the ecosystem.
FUN FACT
Mom of two, usually found cheering on many a sport field. If she has a few hours to herself, she's on a great patio with a coffee — which she'll tell you can solve almost anything.
Kelly Anne O'Neill
Executive Director — ATV Foundation
Hilton Thompson
Head of Programming & Events — ATV Buckhead
WHAT I DO
I build programming that gets people out of their offices and into the community — because the best business growth happens when you're in the right room with the right people. From Startup Chowdown to Women + Tech, I architect experiences designed to move the needle.
PROUD OF
Building Women + Tech from the ground up — a space where women in tech feel seen, supported, and connected. After returning to ATV, keeping that momentum going means everything.
FUN FACT
Current President of the Georgia Women's Fly Fishers. Yes, it's a real thing. Yes, she will absolutely talk to you about it.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilton-thompson-6a336794/
Hilton Thompson
Head of Programming & Events — ATV Buckhead
Becca Heck
Head of Community — ATV Sylvan
WHAT I DO
Part Cruise Director, part Deck Hand, part favorite Aunt — I make sure our founders and their teams have everything they need to grow, build, and do great work from the moment their application is approved.
PROUD OF
Guiding ATV Sylvan through its first year of community building. If you haven't been to our South Downtown location, you're definitely missing out.
FUN FACT
Travels with an engraved champagne saber — because you never know when there's something worth celebrating. Don't even think about trying to steal it.
Becca Heck
Head of Community — ATV Sylvan
Emily Roach
Head of Community — ATV Buckhead
WHAT I DO
I make the Village feel like home — building Villager relationships, connecting founders to the people and resources that move the needle, and handling the behind-the-scenes operations that help everyone do their best work.
PROUD OF
The conversations. She could sit for hours hearing about why founders do what they do — and genuinely believes staying grounded in those "whys" is how the magic happens around here.
FUN FACT
Before ATV, she built the Child Life program at Grady's burn unit from scratch. Fair warning: if you have kids, she will ask to see every single baby photo and she is not sorry about it.
Emily Roach
Head of Community — ATV Buckhead
Justin Vanorsby
Coffee Shop Manager, Kula Coffee Co — ATV Buckhead
WHAT I DO
I run Kula Coffee Co inside ATV Buckhead — curating a space for serendipitous conversation and connection over a cup of craft coffee. Whether it's conversation, caffeine, or connection, I've got you.
PROUD OF
Creating a space where meaningful connections happen organically — the kind that only come from slowing down for a good cup of coffee with the right people around you.
FUN FACT
A 3rd-generation JB Skater — a style of rollerskating native to Chicago named after and influenced by James Brown.
Justin Vanorsby
Coffee Shop Manager, Kula Coffee Co — ATV Buckhead
Naiya Nixon
Head of Marketing — ATV
WHAT I DO
I lead marketing and communications for Atlanta Tech Village, telling the stories of the founders, community, and programs that make this ecosystem move.
PROUD OF
Building ATV's digital front door and creating the content infrastructure that puts our founders' work in front of the people who need to see it. The stories are already incredible. Getting them out into the world is the job.
FUN FACT
Music nerd currently learning guitar. Most likely found at a local coffee shop or a concert, sometimes both in the same day.
Naiya Nixon
Head of Marketing — ATV
Grace Bridges
Membership Growth Lead — ATV
Grace Bridges
Membership Growth Lead — ATV
Kerrington Andrade
Membership Coordinator — ATV Sylvan
WHAT I DO
I help members feel right at home from day one — bringing warm energy and a community-first spirit to everything from onboarding to day-to-day connection.
PROUD OF
Getting to help people find their people every single day. A Clark Atlanta University-proud Mass Media Arts grad, she's spent her career at the intersection of creativity and connection.
FUN FACT
Runs her own creative studio, KAndrade Designs — when she's not rolling out the welcome mat, you'll find her in the kitchen, volunteering, or working on her next design project.
Kerrington Andrade
Membership Coordinator — ATV Sylvan
Sydney Wells
Membership Coordinator — ATV Buckhead
WHAT I DO
Think of me as the in-house concierge for startup founders — getting new members onboarded, making sure everyone has what they need, and being the person you can come to whether things are going great or really hard.
PROUD OF
Being a helper. When the day-to-day is handled, founders can focus on building — and that's the most rewarding part of this role.
FUN FACT
Plays guitar and will absolutely lose an afternoon learning one of her favorite songs.
Sydney Wells
Membership Coordinator — ATV Buckhead
Alan Woodruff
It Takes a Village (ITV) — ATV
WHAT I DO
I work with early-stage founders to tighten their story, build real traction, and get in front of the right investors — running programs, connecting dots across the ecosystem, and helping turn good ideas into businesses that create jobs.
PROUD OF
Helping evolve ITV into a platform that not only supports underrepresented founders but actually moves them closer to capital, traction, and long-term impact.
FUN FACT
Can probably out-grill most people at a cookout. Give him the tongs and a playlist, and you're all set.
Alan Woodruff
It Takes a Village (ITV) — ATV
Adair Kimbrough
Event Operations Lead - ATV
WHAT I DO
I support event operations at ATV, bringing a passion for helping people step into their potential and grow together in meaningful ways — contributing to Atlanta's ever-evolving startup community.
PROUD OF
Four years on staff at Passion City Church coordinating volunteers and leading benevolence initiatives — one of the most joy-filled chapters of her life, and a strong foundation for community-first work.
FUN FACT
Born-and-raised Atlanta native and proud Dawgs fan. You'll find her at the gym, trying new restaurants, journaling in a coffee shop, or out on the Beltline.
Adair Kimbrough
Event Operations Lead - ATV
Jess Kitchel
Senior Operations Manager — ATV Buckhead
WHAT I DO
I'm the steady hand behind the scenes making sure founders and members don't just have a place to work — but a place they actually want to be. Every day looks different, but the throughline is always the same: show up, solve the problem, and make sure everyone belongs.
PROUD OF
The environment itself — the culture, the energy, the feeling you get when you walk in. That's not something you can put in a spreadsheet, but you know it when you feel it.
FUN FACT
Mom of four and unlikely operator of a suburban farm — proving that managing complexity with grace is just kind of her thing.
Jess Kitchel
Senior Operations Manager — ATV Buckhead
