Left to right, 2025 Georgia Trustee Walter M. “Sonny” Deriso, Jr., former Governor Roy Barnes, Georgia Historical Society President and CEO Dr. W. Todd Groce, former Governor Nathan Deal, and 2025 Georgia Trustee Craig A. Menear.

Two accomplished Georgians have been inducted by the Office of the Governor of Georgia and the Georgia Historical Society as the 2025 Georgia Trustees, the state’s highest honor.
 
Walter M. “Sonny” Deriso, Jr. and Craig A. Menear were inducted as the 33rd and 34th modern-day Trustees at the 17th annual Trustees Gala on April 26 in Savannah. In an historic first, the Office of the Governor was represented by two former holders of that office: the 80th governor, Roy Barnes, and the 82nd governor, Nathan Deal. They represented current Governor Brian Kemp, who was unable to attend.
 
Approximately 400 people attended the annual Trustees Gala, the Georgia Historical Society’s premier annual event and the culmination of the Georgia History Festival. Each year, this elegant and much-anticipated evening draws top local, state, and national leaders to honor and pay tribute to the best the State of Georgia has produced.
 
In conjunction with the Governor’s Office, the Georgia Historical Society reestablished the Georgia Trustees in 2008 as a way of recognizing Georgians whose accomplishments and community service reflect the highest ideals of the founding body of Trustees. The original Georgia Trustees, a governing body chartered and appointed by His Majesty King George II of England in 1732 to establish a new colony in North America, founded Georgia upon the principle of Non Sibi, Sed Aliis, “Not for Self, But for Others,” also adopted by the GHS as its motto upon its founding in 1839. The Governor annually appoints new Trustees whose history-making accomplishments and service reflect the original Trustees’ ideals.
 
Previous inductees are Dr. Louis Sullivan, Carol Tomé, Dan Amos, Donna Hyland, Dan Cathy, Shirley Franklin, David Abney, Juanita Baranco, Robert L. Brown, Jr., Robert S. Jepson, Jr., Frank Blake, John Schuerholz, Edward H. Bastian, W. Paul Bowers, F. Duane Ackerman, A.D. “Pete” Correll, James H. Blanchard, Muhtar Kent, Alana Smith Shepherd, Paula S. Wallace, Arthur M. Blank, William Porter “Billy” Payne, S. Truett Cathy, Herman Russell, Tom Cousins, Andrew Young, Vincent J. Dooley, The Honorable Sam Nunn, Henry “Hank” Aaron, Robert Edward “Ted” Turner, Bernard Marcus, and Marguerite Neel Williams.
 
Walter M. “Sonny” Deriso, Jr.
When people ask you for advice, and they ask, ‘what’s the straight line that we can follow in life,’ I always have to reply, there’s no straight line in life. We never know where opportunities are going to be. We have to trust in the Lord and take those opportunities. And I’ve been blessed to have several. –Sonny Deriso, Jr.
 
Walter M. “Sonny” Deriso, Jr., was the Founding Chairman and a Director of Atlantic Capital Bank and Atlantic Capital Bancshares, Inc. Previously, Deriso was Vice Chairman of Synovus Financial Corp. and CEO, Director, and Board Chairman of Security Bank & Trust Company of Albany, GA. He began his professional career as an attorney and practiced law in Albany for almost 20 years before entering the banking profession.
 
Deriso has served as chairman of numerous boards, including Georgia Bankers Association, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, and the Georgia Historical Society. He has served as a Trustee of Emory University and Chairman of its successful 2005-2012 capital campaign that raised $1.697 billion, at that time the largest capital campaign in Georgia history. Currently, he and his wife Judy co-chair a capital campaign for Phoebe Putney Healthcare’s Phoebe Foundation.
 
He received the Marion Luther Brittain Service Award from Emory, was listed in Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 100 Most Influential Atlantans, was recognized by Atlanta Business Chronicle as a Most-Admired CEO, and was included in Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians.
 
Deriso graduated from Emory College with a BA in History and earned his JD with Distinction from Emory University School of Law. As a U.S. Army Reservist, he served with the 449^th Field Depot. Active in his church, he has taught Sunday School for 51 years.
 
Craig A. Menear
What I share with college students (today) is what I learned from my father, who was a tool and die maker for General Motors for 41 years. He always told me, if you’re going to do something, do it 110 percent or don’t do it at all. That was my foundation. My approach to business was, whatever role you’re in, do that role and try to be the absolute best at it, period. –Craig A. Menear
 
Craig A. Menear is the retired Chairman and CEO of The Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, with over four decades of experience in the business. Menear joined The Home Depot as a merchant and held various leadership roles within the company, including President US Retail and Executive Vice President of Merchandising. He was appointed CEO in 2014 and as Chair in 2015 until retiring in 2022.
 
Menear is recognized as a respected leader in the retail industry and has been named to several lists of top CEOs and business executives. He served on the Board of Directors of the Retail Industry Leaders Association, the Atlanta Committee for Progress, and the executive committee of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.
 
Menear currently serves as a director for Camp Southern Ground, Junior Achievement’s 3DE high school education re-engineering initiative, and JA USA. In addition to these efforts his family is active in supporting the Salvation Army in Atlanta and their church.
 
Menear earned a BA degree from Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business. In 2017, he received MSU’s Distinguished Alumni Award for his business accomplishments and commitment to philanthropic initiatives. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from MSU in 2021.