Skip to main content
Shaunae Motley

Shaunae Motley

Board Member

As president and chief executive officer of United Way of Southwest Georgia, Shaunae Motley leads the effort to strengthen communities and make a difference in the lives of neighbors across 13 counties in the southwest Georgia region.  She is a nationally recognized leader who brings a wealth of experience in visioning, strategic planning, community engagement, and capacity building with a variety of organizations and communities.

Prior to joining United Way, Shaunae served as director of programs of Quest For Change, where she developed leadership that transformed the organization from two employees serving 150 students, to a staff of 12 employees serving over 1,300 youth and families annually.  Before that role, Shaunae had been chief operating officer for Future Foundation, where she helped grow the once grassroots organization from a fledging entity to a multi-million dollar, nationally recognized nonprofit. In total, she has nearly 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector.

A recent graduate of GeorgiaForward's 2018 Young Gamechangers class in Albany/Dougherty County, Ms. Motley studied Public Relations at Georgia Southern University and also holds a Graduate Certificate in Business Excellence from Columbia Business School in New York.  She was recognized as a 2019 American Express NGen Fellow, Rural Leader Magazine's Top Four "40 Under 40" in 2016, and has earned several other awards and recognition for her leadership in the nonprofit industry.

Shaunae strongly believes that it is the community’s responsibility to support effective change.  She pursues her mission of public service through her many community revitalization and development projects.  She enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her daughter, Sanaa Lauren.

Shaunae has been on the GFPE Board since 2020, and as a resident of Dougherty Co., represents the South West Region.

As president and chief executive officer of United Way of Southwest Georgia, Shaunae Motley leads the effort to strengthen communities and make a difference in the lives of neighbors across 13 counties in the southwest Georgia region.  She is a nationally recognized leader who brings a wealth of experience in visioning, strategic planning, community engagement, and capacity building with a variety of organizations and communities.

Prior to joining United Way, Shaunae served as director of programs of Quest For Change, where she developed leadership that transformed the organization from two employees serving 150 students, to a staff of 12 employees serving over 1,300 youth and families annually.  Before that role, Shaunae had been chief operating officer for Future Foundation, where she helped grow the once grassroots organization from a fledging entity to a multi-million dollar, nationally recognized nonprofit. In total, she has nearly 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector.

A recent graduate of GeorgiaForward's 2018 Young Gamechangers class in Albany/Dougherty County, Ms. Motley studied Public Relations at Georgia Southern University and also holds a Graduate Certificate in Business Excellence from Columbia Business School in New York.  She was recognized as a 2019 American Express NGen Fellow, Rural Leader Magazine's Top Four "40 Under 40" in 2016, and has earned several other awards and recognition for her leadership in the nonprofit industry.

Shaunae strongly believes that it is the community’s responsibility to support effective change.  She pursues her mission of public service through her many community revitalization and development projects.  She enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her daughter, Sanaa Lauren.

Shaunae has been on the GFPE Board since 2020, and as a resident of Dougherty Co., represents the South West Region.

The Right Team, Right Time

“Thank you very much to Georgia Foundation for Public Education...I hope you can show this 'model' to other business and education partnerships. It is the innovation that our students need to better secure their futures." --Mark Whitlock, Coweta Schools