Member Login
Search
Event List
Prev MonthPrev Month Next MonthNext Month
Atlanta Chapter In-Person Event | CEO Succession: Strategy, Pitfalls, and Board-Level Impact
South State Bank
945 E. Paces Ferry Road, 14th Floor
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
USA
Tuesday, July 15, 2025, 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM EDT
Category: Atlanta

CEO Succession: Strategy, Pitfalls, and Board-Level Impact

Overview

CEO succession is among the most critical responsibilities of any board—and one of the most challenging to get right. Join the Private Board Directors Association for a dynamic and interactive session featuring two leading experts on executive succession:

Dr. Patrick Wright, Founding Director of the Center for Executive Succession at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business, and
Tim Hourigan, recently retired Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of The Home Depot.

Drawing on both academic research and real-world experience, this session will provide board members with actionable insights and proven frameworks to guide effective CEO succession planning. Dr. Wright will share highlights from his CEO Succession Planning Playbook, a resource created specifically for directors, while Tim Hourigan will offer practical lessons from his time at The Home Depot, including how the company has aligned its succession efforts with long-term business strategy and culture.

Key Topics Include:

  • Best practices in CEO succession planning
  • Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
  • Aligning succession with company strategy and culture
  • Building and evaluating a strong pipeline of successor candidates
  • Ensuring a smooth transition and onboarding for the new CEO

Please come prepared to engage, share your boardroom experiences, and learn from both faculty and fellow directors. This session is designed to spark conversation and equip you with tools to lead with confidence in one of your most vital governance roles.

Registration

$35 Member Registration Fee
$50 Non-Member Registration Fee

Register 

Thank you to our National Sponsors!

Thank you to our Chapter Sponsors!

BRONZE SPONSOR

 

Thank you to our Event Sponsor!

Speakers

   Dr. Patrick Wright
   Bicentennial Chair & Professor of Management, 
   University of South Carolina; Founding Director, 
   Center for Executive Succession
   University of South Carolina

Patrick Wright is the Associate Dean for Corporate Relations, management department chair, Thomas C. Vandiver Bicentennial Chair and professor of management at the University of South Carolina. He is also founder and former faculty director of the Center for Executive Succession at the Moore School. He teaches, conducts research and consults in the area of strategic human resource management. In particular, his research focuses on how firms use people as a source of competitive advantage, changing nature of the chief HR officer role and CEO succession processes. Each year he conducts a survey of Fortune 500 CHROs which gains insights on issues and challenges from the top of the HR house.

Wright has published over 70 research articles in journals, over 20 chapters in books and edited volumes and has co-authored two textbooks and two books on HR practice. He has also served a 3-year term as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Management. 

He has conducted programs or consulted for a number of large organizations. He currently serves as a member on the boards of directors for both the Society for Human Resource Management and the National Academy of Human Resources. He is a former board member of HRPS, SHRM Foundation and World at Work (formerly American Compensation Association). From 2011 to 2017, he was named by HR Magazine as one of the 20 “Most Influential Thought Leaders in HR.” In 2014, Wright won SHRM’s Michael Losey Award for HR Research and in 2017, he won the Herbert Heneman, Jr. Award for Career Achievement.

   Tim Hourigan
   Retired CHRO, The Home Depot |
   Board Advisor on Human Capital &
   Executive Succession

Tim Hourigan recently retired after a distinguished 23-year career with The Home Depot, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. In this role, Tim led the human capital strategy for a workforce of over 470,000 associates across retail, distribution, customer support, and corporate operations. He was instrumental in aligning leadership development and succession planning with the company’s strategic and cultural priorities—critical efforts that reinforced The Home Depot’s inverted pyramid leadership model and values-driven decision-making.

Tim previously served as President of the Southern Division, overseeing sales and operations across more than 690 stores and leading over 100,000 associates. Throughout his career, he has held executive roles in HR, finance, and operations, with experience spanning Homelife Corp., Ernst & Young, BAT Industries, and Sears Roebuck & Company.

A recognized thought leader on human capital and CEO succession, Tim serves on several boards and advisory groups, including the Board of Trustees of the Home Builders Institute, the Human Capital Advisory Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the Board of Directors of the Human Resources Policy Association, the Advisory Boards of the Center on Executive Compensation and the Center for Executive Succession at the University of South Carolina, and the Board of Trustees for Bellarmine University.

Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bellarmine University and is a certified public accountant.

Thank You to our Event Host

   Ashley Carson
   President, Atlanta Commercial Division
   SouthState Bank

Ashley Carson serves as President of the Atlanta Commercial Division at SouthState Bank, where she leads strategic initiatives across commercial, not-for-profit, and private banking sectors. With over two decades of experience in financial services, Ashley has been instrumental in driving growth and fostering client relationships in the Atlantamarket.

Before her current role, Ashley held senior positions at Atlantic Capital Bank, including Executive Vice President and Team Leader for Not-for-Profit and Business Banking. Her career also includes significant roles at Wachovia Bank, where she focused on corporate and investment banking.

Ashley is deeply committed to community engagement and has demonstrated this through her board service. She has served on the boards of the Agape Youth & Family Center and the Grove Park Foundation, contributing to their missions of community development and youth empowerment.

In recognition of her professional achievements and civic leadership, Ashley was inducted into the YWCA Greater Atlanta’s Academy of Women Achievers.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and an MBA in Finance from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Ashley is also an alumna of the Leadership Atlanta program.