2020 Journeys Magazine

In Memory

Skyland Trail expresses our appreciation for two individuals who passed away this year, Randall Rollins and Joe Bona. Both men contributed to the growth and success of Skyland Trail. They will be missed.

Dr. Joe Bona

Joe Bona
Dr. Joe Bona

Dr. Joseph Bona passed away June 1, 2020. Dr. Bona served on the Skyland Trail Board of Directors for 10 years. He joined the Advisory Board in 1997 and then was elected to the Board of Directors in 1999. He served until 2006.

Dr. Bona expertly led our first Marketing and Education Committee for many years, impacted our strategic planning efforts in many visionary ways, and served as a member of our first Professional Advisory Board. Joe had the unusual combination of advanced degrees in both medicine and business and utilized his talents working for 30 years across academic, corporate, and community-based healthcare settings.

Dr. Bona served as the CEO and Chief Medical Officer of the DeKalb Community Service Board, a provider of mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disability services. He was an advocate for mental health reform, and shortly before his death, he was appointed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to serve on the Georgia Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission.

Dr. Bona was a great mentor to many and was highly revered in the medical community. He was a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, member of the American College of Psychiatrists, Past President of the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association (GPPA), and recipient of the GPPA 2016 Psychiatrist of the Year Award.

“Joe was a tremendous asset to Skyland Trail,” says Beth Finnerty. “From clinical expertise, marketing, to strategic planning, he helped transform our organization in so many ways.”

Randall Rollins

Randall Rollins
Randall Rollins

R. Randall Rollins Sr. passed away in August 2020.  Mr. Rollins had served as the chairman of Rollins Inc., an Atlanta-based pest control company, since 1991.

Known for philanthropy, Rollins and his family endowed Emory University’s Department of Public Health in 1990, allowing it to become its own school, the Rollins School of Public Health.

At Skyland Trail, after supporting our financial aid program for many years, the O. Wayne Rollins Foundation supported the construction of a campus for young adults, dedicated as the Rollins Campus, in 2016.

The Foundation was also a leadership donor to the capital campaign for the construction of the J. Rex Fuqua Campus for adolescents ages 14 to 17 that opened in 2019. Guests and clients enter the campus through the Rollins Family Clinical Building.

In addition to Skyland Trail, beneficiaries of his philanthropy include the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory, Rollins Child Development Center in Cartersville, GA, Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, and many more.

"The philanthropic endeavors of Mr. Rollins and the Rollins family have had a deep and lasting impact on Skyland Trail, " says Beth Finnerty. "The family has shown a visionary understanding of the importance of providing evidence-based, high quality mental health treatment for all. Their investments in our financial aid program and campuses have been a catalyst to expand services and have made such a difference in the lives of countless clients and families."

DID YOU KNOW?  Skyland Trail was founded by families seeking to help other families in need of community-based mental health treatment. Learn more about our history.