Habi-Heroes: Dan Maddox Jr.

December’s Habi-Hero is none other than Dan Maddox Jr. After nearly eleven years as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with Atlanta Habitat, it is time for us to say goodbye to not only an impeccable leader but a true friend to the people of Atlanta. His heart for our mission is evident as he has lent himself to countless areas within the organization. He has not only served on the Board of Directors as treasurer and board chair; he’s also been a member of the Advisory Council. While we are forever and deeply grateful for his tremendous level of leadership, it’s the moments when he’s gotten his hands dirty in the field with us that make him a deserving Habi-Hero. His dedication to our mission is not just words on a page, it’s his call to action.

In fact, it was during some sweat equity on a build site that he first saw a future with Atlanta Habitat. For years, Dan and his wife, Debbie had been volunteering their time by feeding the unhoused and though he loved it, he didn’t feel it was quite adequate. His effort was no doubt important to those he lent himself but he wanted to create lasting change. While working at Georgia-Pacific, the organization sponsored a build with Atlanta Habitat. “In seven days of time you can build a house. You can uplift this family and give them a hand up, not a hand out,” he said after volunteering at that build. This active level of service would leave people in a better position than when he’d met them and to this day, this is what is important to Dan; how he can be more impactful in his community.

We couldn’t be more grateful for that build sponsored by Georgia-Pacific because it introduced Dan and Atlanta Habitat. Surely, it was a blessing to find what he’d been looking for but we think of ourselves as the lucky ones. Even though it would be more than a decade after his first build that he would become our COO, he never stopped serving alongside us in the meantime, always wanting to do more. It was in 2019 that Dan and his family helped us reach a new milestone. In honor of his parents, he and his siblings sponsored our first two-story home. We can only imagine that his heart for service comes from growing up in a home with parents who would be honored, not by the receiving of a gift, but by giving the gift of a home to a new family.

We like to think that this is why for Dan, no act of service is too big, too small or too far out of his scope. He does his sweat equity, diving into the work, all while conceptualizing an even greater undertaking for the future. This is what makes his leadership so meaningful to us. We can think of no greater example of dedication to one’s community than the story of man who’s lofty service was not enough for him; who always searched for bigger and better ways to give of himself; who pushed his own retirement to the side and accepted more responsibility in the mission to give to his community.

He once said “I just want to be remembered as someone that made a difference.” The fact is, there is only one Dan Maddox Jr. However, because of the way he lives out the mission, we’re certain that there will be countless others, just like Dan was on his first build with Atlanta Habitat, that will be forever changed by the experience and follow their hearts toward more service. There is no doubt that Dan has made an impact; the kind of impact that has inspired more people to listen more intently, think bigger and do more. In this way, his service can never truly end with his retirement. It will continue through all those he’s touched in his time with us.

Over his 25-year span of involvement with Atlanta Habitat, Dan Maddox Jr., has impacted thousands of lives. In honor of his notable work in this community and serving as our COO the last 11 years, next year, we will be breaking ground on the Dan Maddox Jr. house. He holds a very special place in the heart of Atlanta Habitat. We hope that Dan’s retirement brings him much-deserved rest after of years of selflessly devoting his energy to the service of others and we thank him from the bottom of our hearts.