The Urban League of Greater Atlanta welcomes three new board members to the 21-member body that provides oversight and support to the civil rights and service agency that has operated in the Atlanta region for more than 100 years. The new board members are: Tarry Little, Director, Service Operations, GEICO; Sam Thurman, VP Risk Operations, US Bank; and Nichole Jones, Partner/Principal, EYP Strategy, Ernst & Young.

“Our Board of Directors is one of our organization’s greatest strengths,” said Nancy Flake Johnson, president and CEO, Urban League of Greater Atlanta. “Their leadership has helped the League grow and expand services across the region and into other areas of the state. We are extremely pleased to welcome Tarry Little, Sam Thurman, and Nichole Jones, who are personally and professionally committed to our mission.

Tarry Little began her career at GEICO in August 2004 in Auto Sales as part of the Professional Development Program (PDP). She quickly advanced in the company to management positions including Glass Claims Supervisor, Service Supervisor, Glass Lead Supervisor, ERS Billing & Compliance Manager, Salvage Manager and EGA Director. Notably, she helped develop the Glass inspection program to defend GEICO against fraud.

Her achievements include developing a catastrophe management strategy that brought in an additional $51 million in Salvage returns during 4Q17, putting the department on pace for $1 Billion for the following year. She relocated to Buffalo in February 2020 as the Auto Service Director. She returned to Macon in March 2021, where she is Director of Service Operations for GEICO’s Macon, Dallas, and Iowa locations.

Ms. Little mentors and helps elevate associates, supervisors, and managers to the next level of their careers. In Buffalo and Macon, she has supported numerous nonprofits that open doors of opportunity for young people. In Macon, she has served on the Career, Technical, and Agricultural (CTAE) advisory boards for both the Bibb County and Monroe County school districts, where she promoted the GEICO Youth Apprenticeship Program (YAP). Ms. Little earned a B.A. in Sociology from Spelman College and an Executive MBA from Wesleyan College.

Sam Thurman oversees and leads the Risk Operations team at Elavon (a wholly owned subsidiary of US Bank), collaborating across business lines to support enterprise incident management, partner enablement, and external risk request management.

Prior to joining Elavon in 2011, Mr. Thurman spent several years as a program/project management contract consultant, as well as time in the television advertising industry, where he owned and operated a media company. In addition, he served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force as a Space Systems Operations Officer.

Mr. Thurman has held many prominent board member positions, most notably as an inaugural member for the U.S. Bank Atlanta Chapter Black Heritage Business Resource Group, the U.S. Bank Atlanta Black Leadership Council and the Proud to Serve BRG (Veterans BRG). He also sits on advisory boards for Year Up Greater Atlanta and Year Up Banking and Customer Success.

Mr. Thurman is a Year Up Greater Atlanta Mentor and Engagement Manager for the U.S. Bank/Elavon business community partnership with the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) in Atlanta. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia (BA), holds an MBA in Technology Management from Capella University, is a Management Leadership for Tomorrow fellow, a U.S. bank Executive Experiences fellow, completed the McKinsey Academy Black Leadership Accelerator Program and has completed several certification programs including the Georgia Tech — Innovation Management Consortium Certification Program.

Nichole Jones is a Partner at EY-Parthenon and brings over 20 years of experience in driving business outcomes for retailers and consumer brands. In her current role, Ms. has partnered with Fortune 500 companies, startup accelerators, and industry organizations. She leads transformation programs to help companies remain competitive in this rapidly changing retail environment.

Prior to EY-Parthenon, Ms. Jones held roles at Accenture, Kurt Salmon, and Macys.

Her vision to create an inclusive and equitable society extends beyond her work in retail and consulting. She frequently serves community organizations as a volunteer, mentor, and advisor, sharing the Urban League of Greater Atlanta’s mission of helping individuals and families stabilize, thrive, and build generational wealth.

Ms. Jones earned an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business and a BBA from Emory University Goizueta Business School.