Rev. Keith E. Lawder

President and CEO

Rev. Keith E. Lawder has served as the President and CEO of the Georgia United Methodist Foundation since July 2023. Rev. Lawder served as President and CEO of the Foundation from 2016 until his retirement in 2021. He previously served as a member of the Foundation Board of Trustees.

Rev. Lawder retired as an ordained Elder in the North Georgia Annual Conference and has served appointments at large, medium, and small United Methodist churches. He has been a student local pastor, an associate pastor, and a senior pastor. Prior to being called to ministry, Rev. Lawder was employed at Wachovia Bank in North Carolina and Georgia. He retired in 2005 as Senior Risk Officer for Georgia with 30 years of service to the bank.

Rev. Lawder has a B.A. in Psychology and an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia. He holds an M.Div. from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

He has served on numerous nonprofit boards and agencies, including the United Ways of Winston-Salem and Asheville, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the Better Business Bureau of Atlanta. He currently serves as a Trustee and Chair of the Development Committee for Gammon Theological Seminary. An avid reader and student of leadership, Rev. Lawder enjoys teaching, preaching, and occasionally fly-fishing. Current projects include developing a new Financial Literacy Academy in partnership with The Candler Foundry, an initiative of Emory University, which is tailored specifically for clergy and laity leaders.

Rev. Lawder has been married to Mary Lottier Lawder for almost 50 years. Mary served as a Parish Nurse at Norcross First UMC and for the Atlanta Roswell District. They are proud parents of three sons (and wonderful daughters-in-law) and grandparents of eight.