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Chamber chief to serve on foundation board
McCoy sees opportunity for Forsyth
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Forsyth County News
In what little free time he has, James McCoy will wear one more hat.

McCoy, the president and chief executive officer of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce, is joining the board of directors for the North Georgia Community Foundation.

He also serves as president of the Arts Alliance, past president of the Rotary Club of Lanier-Forsyth and chairman of Mentor Me’s board.

“I think the work of [the foundation] is incredibly important to the overall health and well-being of a community, and it is an incredible tool for philanthropy and for contributing to charitable organizations here in Forsyth and throughout north Georgia,” he said.

“I think this is going to be a great opportunity for Forsyth County.”

The foundation, based in Gainesville, works to build, preserve and distribute philanthropic assets to improve quality of life in north Georgia.

McCoy first started working with the foundation through the arts alliance, for which it manages about $1.2 million.

“All they really do is hold funds and make sure they’re thoughtfully invested,” he said. “And when philanthropists ... want to give away money, they help them.”

Foundation President and CEO Jim Mathis said he chose McCoy for the 25-member board because of his leadership skills and the active role he plays in Forsyth.

McCoy, he said, also will serve on the organization’s marketing committee because he’s “a very good marketing person.”

“He’s very well known in the Forsyth County area and that’s helpful,” Mathis said. “He’s as earnest and sincere as anyone I have ever met. We’re proud to have James ... we think he’ll do an excellent job.”

The foundation serves 15 counties in northeast Georgia. The majority of the 25 board members represent Hall County, with seven or eight from surrounding counties.

McCoy said having Forsyth representation could help attract attention to the county.

“That, to me, is the most exciting opportunity ... it will help an awful lot of folks in this community be better philanthropists,” he said. “We’re one of the most affluent counties in the nation, and we should have really good tools in place to help those folks make contributions to organizations they care about and want to be successful.

“There are an awful lot of opportunities for folks in Forsyth County who want to be better philanthropists and givers through the foundation.”