Skyland Trail Announces New Board of Directors Members

Atlanta (February 9, 2011) Skyland Trail, a non-profit treatment facility for adults with mental illness, is pleased to welcome Jay D. Mitchell, Charlotte Pierce-Baker and Bob Walker as members of its Board of Directors. 


"We are honored that Jay, Charlotte and Bob have agreed to sign on in this capacity and will dedicate both their extensive knowledge and time to our organization," said Board Chairman Mark C. West. "They each add a unique depth of experience to our Board, and we are excited about their contributions as we continue to shape the challenging landscape of mental health care."

  • Jay D. Mitchell is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Piedmont Healthcare, Inc., where he is responsible for all legal affairs of the non-profit four (4) hospital system in the greater Atlanta area including flagship Piedmont Hospital. Prior to joining Piedmont, Mitchell was Senior Counsel at HCA, Inc. in Nashville from 1995 to 2001. Mitchell serves on the Parish Council at Cathedral of Christ the King and is also a Board Member of RoadSafe America.
  • Charlotte Pierce-Baker, Ph.D. is an author, activist and Professor of Women's and Gender Studies and English at Vanderbilt University. In 2008, Professor Pierce-Baker was selected as a "Fellow" in the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities to study in the area of trauma.  Professor Pierce-Baker's groundbreaking first book, "Surviving the Silence: Black Women's Stories of Rape," provides a forum for the heretofore-muted voices of African American women surviving the trauma of sexual violence.
  • Bob Walker serves as Executive Vice President of Marketing and Cross-Platform Development for The Weather Channel Companies (TWCC).For many years, Walker was the president and general manager of WXIA-TV and WATL-TV. He also works with the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau executive committee, the Zoo Atlanta board, and is Chair of the Board for The First Tee of Atlanta. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the board of trustees for the Woodruff Arts Center and the Junior League Advisory Committee.

The new board members' three-year term is effective January 1st. The 24 member Board of Directors guide Skyland Trail through a variety of executive, financial and operational decisions.