The organization that runs downtown Atlanta's convention and stadium campus has chosen one of its own to lead it. At its August 27 meeting, the board of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority selected Kevin Duvall as chief executive officer. Duvall has been serving as the authority's chief operating officer and has spent more than two decades with GWCCA.
Duvall steps into the role held by Frank Poe, who has led the authority since April 2010. Poe signaled close to two years earlier that he planned to retire, which gave the board a long runway to find his replacement. The search lasted nearly a year, and the executive search committee worked with the recruiting firm Heidrick and Struggles before bringing its findings to the full board.
Glenn Hicks, a former GWCCA board chair, led that committee. In announcing the pick, he said the group wanted someone who could handle the complexity of the job and who also shared the board's view of where the authority is headed. After looking across the industry, Hicks said, the committee settled on Duvall, citing his record, his approach to the work and his knowledge of the live events business.
Current board chair Brian Daniel pointed to Duvall's executive leadership experience as a deciding factor, and said he expects the authority's reach to extend to both Georgia's economy and the wider live events industry under the new CEO. Daniel also credited Poe with setting the organization up for its next chapter and leaving a lasting mark on its culture and on Atlanta's hospitality community.
Duvall's career in events and public facility management spans about thirty years. In his own statement, he said he was honored to keep working with GWCCA in the top role and to build on what the team has already established.
A short list of leaders
The appointment is notable for how rarely the job changes hands. Duvall becomes just the third CEO in the history of the convention center, which marked its 50th anniversary in 2024. The founding chief, Dan Graveline, ran the organization for 33 years. During his tenure, the center grew through several expansion phases, the Georgia Dome was built, and the authority took over and began operating Centennial Olympic Park, which GWCCA still manages.
The state created GWCCA in 1971. Today its campus takes in the Georgia World Congress Center, Centennial Olympic Park, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Signia by Hilton Atlanta hotel, so the authority's leadership has a hand in conventions, stadium events and the park alike.
The leadership change arrives as GWCCA keeps upgrading its facilities and services, work the authority ties to the economic health of the area around its campus. Duvall, until now the chief operating officer, will lead that effort from the top job.
Original reporting by Maria Saporta for SaportaReport.
