A father of six and grandfather of three, Dave Fitzgerald founded the advertising agency Fitzgerald & Co., where he remains chairman. His company was named Best Agency in the Southeast by Adweek and for five straight years was named one of the best Atlanta companies to work for by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, which also named him one of Atlanta’s Most Admired CEOs this year.

A second-generation Irish American, Dave ran the Order of the Green Jacket of Ireland, which helped raise funds for Irish athletes in the 1996 Olympics. He is on the boards of St. Joseph’s Hospital, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, and the National Advertising Review Board. He is chairman of the Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Parade and St. Joseph’s Health System and is a member of the Global Irish Economic Forum.

Dave received his B.S. and M.B.A. from the University of Dayton, where he was honored with the Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. Having visited Ireland over 40 times, Dave calls his Irish heritage “a source of great pride.” He became an Irish citizen in 2004 and traces his family to counties Kerry and Mayo. ♦