Julia Emmons’ career in Atlanta’s nonprofit sector spans four decades, and has as many elements as an antipasto. As with that famed Italian dish, she has found it deeply satisfying.

Though best known for her recently concluded 22-year career as Race Director of the Peachtree Road Race and Executive Director of the Atlanta Track Club, her Atlanta roots stretch back to a prior 15-year stint as an Associate Professor at Emory University in its Division of Library and Information Science.

Emmons has been committed to Atlanta’s civic health, serving on the Atlanta City Council as an At- Large member (1997-2001), and on a number of nonprofit culturally-oriented boards of directors including MOCA-GA, the Atlanta History Center, and The Theatrical Outfit. She also served for three years as president of the Alliance Theatre Guild, and is a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Partners in Performance outreach efforts. At present, she is also on the Executive Boards of both the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Atlanta Sports Council.

A member of Leadership Atlanta’s class of 2001, she remains active with that organization. In 2006, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, presented Emmons with the Phoenix Award, the City’s highest honor, for her dedication and service.