Peter Hildebrandt, 

Marilyn Margolis,

Karen Wall, Diana Weitz

Appointed to JCSO Board of Directors

Johns Creek, Georgia– The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of four new members to its Board of Directors, including Peter Hildebrandt, Marilyn Margolis, Karen Wall, and Diana Weitz, effective July 1, 2019. “Our newest class of board members brings a high level of expertise to the organization from the business, financial, insurance, and healthcare communities,” remarked Johns Creek Symphony Board President Craig Carter. “We look forward to working with them next season to benefit the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra.”

With the addition of the newest members, the 17-member Board of Directors now includes:

• Craig Carter, President – Ameriprise Financial
• Douglas Russ, Vice-President – Premier Logistics Partners, LLC
• William Abely, Treasurer – Leapfrog Services, Inc.
• Lyman Louis, Secretary – Retired, CBS Publishing
• Catherine Abely – Community Volunteer
• Wayne Baughman – JCSO Music Director
• Kevin Brown – Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care of Georgia
• Ting Chiu — World Financial Group
• Marianne de Vargas – The Vargas Group
• Adelaide Federici – JCSO Concertmaster
• Angela Harvey – Retired, Educator
• Peter Hildebrandt – Executive Leader/Mentor
• Vicki Horton – Evergreen Location Strategies
• Dr. Kathleen Klotz – Retired, Physician/Neuroscientist
• Marilyn Margolis – Emory Johns Creek Hospital
• Karen Wall – Wells Fargo Advisors
• Diana Weitz – State Farm Insurance

Peter Hildebrandt is both a businessman and freelance string bassist who has been a member of the Johns Creek Symphony for five years.  A serial entrepreneur, Peter has built several companies and sold them.  He currently owns a consulting firm which works with larger companies to bring new products to market and a music stand light manufacturing business serving both freelance musicians and professional orchestras.  He is the former president of the Georgia Philharmonic and chairman of the Associated Chamber Music Players Foundation based in NYC, an endowment which provides grants to help promote the playing of chamber music for fun.  Peter is the founder of the annual Georgia Chamber Music Retreat, now in its seventeenth year in north Georgia.  He volunteers with SCORE to mentor small business owners one-on-one and teaches workshops on financials, marketing, and starting businesses.

Marilyn Margolis is CEO of Emory Johns Creek Hospital. She began her career at Emory Healthcare more than 35 years ago at Emory University hospital as a staff nurse in CCU.  After caring for patients at the bedside for 15 years, she went to the Emergency Department as the Unit Director and began a career in leadership roles at EHC that included Director of nursing for emergency services and neurosciences, and Nursing Director for Operations.  Marilyn has extensive experience leading quality initiative teams throughout the Emory Healthcare system in areas such as Emergency Services and ICU at Emory University Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown.  She has also worked with teams to develop operational changes with patient flow and transfer services.  Marilyn has been a champion for patient and family centered care and has worked with patient/family advisors to institute change with patients and family input.

Marilyn came to Emory Johns Creek Hospital in early 2011 and was named CNO in August 2011.  In April 2013, Marilyn was promoted to Vice President of Operations in addition to her CNO role.  On September 1, 2014, she was named interim Chief Executive Officer before being named permanent CEO in January 2015. Notably, Marilyn is the recipient of the Nursing Management’s Visionary leader award in 2007 and the Georgia Hospital Association’s 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award.  In October 2017, Marilyn received the Distinguished Nursing Achievement Award, which is awarded to an Emory School of Nursing alumnus whose career has demonstrated continuous and exemplary contributions to the profession of nursing and/or healthcare.

Marilyn received a master in nursing administration from the Nell Hodgson Woodruff Emory University School of Nursing.  She also has done post graduate work at Harvard Business School and the Woodruff Leadership Academy.  In 2017, she was appointed and currently serves as Chair of the Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce, and is an active Board Member of the Johns Creek Advantage.  Additionally, Marilyn is a member and is the President-elect of the Rotary Club of Johns Creek.

Karen Wall is Vice President of Investments for Wells Fargo Advisors. She has been in the financial services industry for over 40 years, and with her current firm for 25-plus years, and is currently in the process of pursing the Certified Financial Planner professional designation. Karen began her career on the municipal trading desk at Kidder Peabody, and then she moved to Dean Witter Reynolds on the retail side. She jumped at the opportunity available to her by A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. to move her clients for better personal service. (A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. was purchased by Wachovia Bank, and then was acquired by Wells Fargo). She earned her Bachelors of Science degree from Reinhardt/Emory and finished her MBA program at Reinhardt in May 2016.

Karen grew up in Wichita, Kansas. She has lived in the suburbs of Atlanta for over 45 years, including Dunwoody, Alpharetta, and Milton. A widow, she has three successful children: one in the medical sector, the other two in the small business sector. She has also has five grandchildren that are great fun! In her spare time, Karen enjoys race-walking, walking the dogs (two), exercising, bicycling, sailing, walking on the beach, listening, and reading books.

Diana Weitz is a Learning Team Manager at State Farm Insurance.  In her 20 year career in State Farm she has held various leadership roles, currently leading a team responsible for the facilitation of new and existing employee training across the enterprise. An insurance professional, Diana has obtained her Chartered Property and Casualty designation and is near completion of the Fellow, Life Management Institute designation.

Diana earned her BS from William Paterson University and her MBA from Dowling College.  A northeast native, raised in NJ and lived in NY and PA, Diana relocated to Alpharetta in 2015.  Diana along with her husband spend most weekends on various bleachers supporting their two active daughters.

Complete biographies for all current Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra board members can be found online at https://johnscreeksymphony.org/about/board-of-directors/.

Now entering its 13th season, the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra is metro Atlanta’s only fully-professional, part-time symphonic orchestra, made up of professional musicians from all over the greater metro Atlanta area. The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Founder and Music Director J. Wayne Baughman, provides musical enrichment for the community of Johns Creek through a five-concert series of performances, as well as additional educational programs and special events each year.