Building Community by Connecting Families.
About Us
The Grant Park Parents Network (GPPN)’s mission is to cultivate and foster relationships among families residing within Neighborhood Planning Unit W and adjacent neighborhoods. We sponsor events for children of all ages and offer opportunities for parents to become involved in the community through improving education, creating neighborhood resources, and partnering with other community organizations. The GPPN has a board of eleven volunteers. We continually need volunteers to help on the planning and implementation committees.
If you are interested in volunteering, please vicepresident@grantparkparents.org.
GPPN Board
President - Jonna Martin
president@grantparkparents.org
Jonna is originally from Finland but has called Atlanta home for over a decade. She moved to Grant Park with her husband Andy in 2016 and have since welcomed two daughters (Lillian, 4 & Elsa, 2). She has an undergraduate degree from Georgia Tech as well as a graduate degree from Emory University and currently works in corporate finance. Their family loves to go on hiking adventures and visits to Finland, but can often be found in the many parks, playgrounds and coffee shops in the Grant Park vicinity.
Vice President – Sarah Tatum
vicepresident@grantparkparents.org
Sarah is an Atlanta native, who grew up in Marietta, went to Georgia Tech and now lives in Ormewood Park. She married Jason in 2016 and they have two kids, Hazel and Henry and their fur baby, Patsy. Sarah has worked in the Human Resources field for over 10 years, currently working at KPMG. The Tatums love to bike around the neighborhood, walk the zoo, attend Atlanta United games, and hang out with friends around a firepit.
Treasurer - Katie Schwartz
treasurer@grantparkparents.org
Originally from West Virginia, Katie has lived in Atlanta since 2010. She moved to Atlanta for graduate school at Georgia Tech, where she met her husband Henry. They moved to Grant Park in 2015 and have two kids - Michael is 4 and Mary is 2! They also have a sweet dog Charlie who is 10. Katie is an Aerospace Engineer turned consultant and runs her own business now. Her favorite spots in the neighborhood are Little Tart, Eventide, and Patria Cocina!
Marketing Chair – Dan Gardner
marketing@grantparkparents.org
Dan was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2021, Dan, his wife Annelys, and their bulldog Milo made the cross country journey to settle in Atlanta, and officially moved to Grant Park in 2022. In 2023, we welcomed our daughter. Dan works currently as an Associate Director of Engineering at OneMain Financial. As a family, we love to travel and road trip to new places, discover new restaurants, watch/play sports, and explore Atlanta.
Playgroup Chair – Lauren Mattingly
playgroups@grantparkparents.org
Lauren and her family relocated to Atlanta from Brooklyn, NY in 2022 and have enjoyed exploring the city and making Grant Park their home. Her son, Graham, is two and Lauren truly feels like she has found such a wonderful gem of a community for him through GPPN. She has an extensive background in education having earned a MAT in Childhood Education and has worked as a teacher, school leader, and school improvement consultant for New York City public schools and the Arkansas Department of Education. When she’s not working or volunteering, you can find Lauren at a yoga class or out hunting for Atlanta’s best Americano.
Community – Kris Ford
community@grantparkparents.org
Hi! I’m Kris, born and raised in New Orleans, currently loving Atlanta with my partner and child. I am a lover of archaic needlework, good French bread, and the kinds of friends who just show up and hang out on the couch. I work in libraries and archives by trade, and I’m currently on book 10 of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series.
Music in the Meadow – Hillary Maddox
neighbors@grantparkparents.org
Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Hillary has lived in Grant Park with her husband, an Atlanta native, since 2018. Their two little girls, Audrey and Bennett, keep them busy exploring everything the Grant Park/Summerhill area has to offer. She is an avid traveler, loves the outdoors and enjoys trying new restaurants, all with her family in tow.
Communications Chair – Kelly Balcarczyk
communications@grantparkparents.org
Kelly is originally from Buffalo, NY and came to Atlanta for her work with the USDA Forest Service. She moved to Ormewood Park with her husband Sanjay in 2016. Since then, Kelly and Sanjay expanded their family - welcoming two children (Issa, April 2020 and Zari, May 2023). As a family they love biking to local breweries (Eventide and Halfway Crooks are favs!), exploring the Beltline, and visiting all the great playgrounds within walking distance. Kelly shares her love of nature with her family and you can often find them hiking or camping in the many parks and forests around Atlanta.
Member at Large – Alison Sawyer
Member at Large - Alyssa Morrison
Alyssa and her family recently moved back to Atlanta after five years in the NYC area. Grant Park has always been one of her favorite neighborhoods, so she is thrilled to not only be living here but also raising her two little boys within this community! Alyssa is a clinical social worker (Go Dawgs!) and has a private psychotherapy practice and teaches as an adjunct for Fordham University. Alyssa and her older son are always on the lookout for a "new" (to them) Tiny Door and the entire family is thrilled to be back in the Southern climate and enjoying their front porch!
Member at Large - Heather Devine
Hi, I'm Heather. I've been in Grant Park since 2012 with my husband Mike. We welcomed our daughter, Penny (4), in 2020 and have enjoyed the GPPN events along with all the great things this neighborhood has to offer! During the day I work as an Art Director for an apparel brand and have recently returned back to ballet at The Neighborhood Ballet. We love to walk Oakland, play at the playgrounds, eat at all the local spots and are pretty much regulars at Little Tart. I'm excited to join the board this year and help continue to grow this great organization while supporting the GP community!
Interested in joining us? We would love to have you volunteer! We are always in need of help planning and operating our events. Please email president@grantparkparents.org for more information