Episode Summary

Plenty of nonprofit professionals talk themselves out of executive roles because their resume does not show years of philanthropic experience. Dan Bevels, President of the Atrium Health Floyd-Polk Foundation in Rome, Georgia, nearly did exactly that, and applied only after his wife and a mentor pushed him. He walks through the case he made in place of the credentials he lacked: that what he did not know could be taught, and that fifteen years of relationships across northwest Georgia would take anyone else years to build. He describes meeting one-on-one with all seventeen of his board members in his first year, mostly to listen; why the foundation asks grant applicants who they are collaborating with, and makes introductions when the answer is no one; and how a young foundation is shifting from funding programs to attacking the causes underneath them. Listeners will walk away with a way to make the case for a role their resume does not obviously fit, and a clearer sense of what a funder is actually listening for.

About Dan

Dan Bevels is President of the Atrium Health Floyd-Polk Foundation, an independent supporting foundation of Atrium Health Floyd in Rome, Georgia, that works on the social drivers of health across northwest Georgia, from food insecurity and housing to access to care. He studied broadcast journalism and expected a life in radio and television, then moved into corporate communications once the hours and relocation ruled out the family life he wanted. He joined what was then Floyd Medical Center in 2009, having suggested half as a joke that they hire him rather than keep calling with freelance projects, and later served as Director of Community Health. The foundation was created when Floyd joined Atrium Health in 2021, and Bevels stepped into the top job on January 11, walking straight into grant application season. He grew up in a blue-collar family in the county he now serves, started working at fourteen, and still opens conversations in nearby towns with memories of swimming at Peaks Park.

Resources

• Thanks to our podcast partner, Inperium

• Dan's LinkedIn | Atrium Health Floyd-Polk Foundation

• Dogwood Health Trust

• Book recommendations: Upstream by Dan Heath, and The AI-Driven Leader by Geoff Woods

• Conference for NC Nonprofits, October 20-21, 2026 in Concord. Use code PATH26 for discount, or PATHMEM for $100 off through October 19 if you're already a member!

• Follow Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, and please leave a review!

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