Executive MBA Alumna Named an Atlanta Woman of Influence
KENNESAW, Ga. | Oct 6, 2026
Chubb, who earned her Executive MBA from KSU’s Michael J. Coles College of Business in 2020, will be recognized by ABC at a ceremony on Oct. 8 at the Stave Room in Atlanta. The Women of Influence awards honor women who have made significant strides in their careers and are making a difference in their organizations and communities.
Having experienced housing insecurity as a child, Chubb has made it her life’s mission to help people find affordable homes.
“Making sure families have housing they can afford is important to me because my parents divorced when I was young, and my family was housing insecure,” Chubb said. “We had a home, but it was a struggle to afford it, and we lived with the stress of that insecurity for many years.”
Chubb learned the ins and outs of the housing industry by working for a bank’s mortgage department before taking a job with the Georgia Housing and Finance Authority (later renamed the Georgia Department of Community Affairs), where she spent 23 years administering federal and state affordable housing programs.
She left the GDCA in 2019 to become Chief of Staff to Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, where she oversaw critical city operations and served as the mayor’s top advisor. In 2022, Chubb joined Columbia Residential as president. Columbia Residential is a real estate developer that partners with governments and community organizations to build affordable housing in Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, and Florida.
As her career continued to evolve, Chubb joined the KSU Executive MBA program in 2018 to enhance her leadership skills and to prepare for the next challenge. She graduated while still working for the Mayor’s Office.
Designed for experienced working professionals, Kennesaw State's Executive MBA program combines once-a-month weekend residencies, collaborative team experiences, international study, and individualized executive coaching throughout the program to help students sharpen their business acumen and grow into strategic leaders.
“My EMBA honed my business and finance skills and positioned me to transition from the public sector to the private sector,” she said. “The finance and economics coursework – not to mention the leadership focus and team setting – challenged me and prepared me for the role I have now as president of Columbia Residential.”
Richard James, KSU’s Executive Director of MBA Programs, said Chubb’s recognition as an Atlanta Business Chronicle Woman of Influence reflects the leadership qualities she demonstrated as a student in the program.
“Carmen embodies all the qualities that we hope to see from the alumni of our EMBA program,” James said. “She is a powerful leader with a keen understanding of business and a genuine desire to serve others. She has become a role model for our EMBA students.”
In addition to her professional achievements, Chubb has also made building up others a part of her personal mission. She regularly mentors young colleagues at Columbia Residential; she sits on the boards of the KSU Foundation, Open Doors Atlanta, and Community ImPACT; and volunteers with Back On My Feet Atlanta, an organization that uses running to promote accountability, social engagement, resilience, and physical fitness.
As Chubb prepares to accept the Woman of Influence Award, she is grateful that her career has provided her with countless opportunities to relate to and learn from people of all walks of life.
“These connections have made me a better human,” she said, “and that better human shows up in all spaces that I enter: my home, my work, and in my service.”
-Patrick Harbin
