Juanita Jordan retiring from Peyton Anderson Foundation

Juanita Jordan, president of the Peyton Anderson Foundation, is retiring, and her daughter, Karen Lambert, has been chosen to fill that job.

That move means that Lambert, president and CEO of the Cherry Blossom Festival, will be leaving that post, and the festival board will be looking for a new leader.

Jordan, who worked with Macon businessman and philanthropist Peyton Anderson Jr. for 22 years and then headed the foundation set up after his death for another 22 years, confirmed Tuesday that she plans to retire about June 1. An exact retirement date has not been set.

“I just think it’s time,” said Jordan, president of the foundation.

The Peyton Anderson Foundation was formed to distribute money from the estate of Anderson, who used to own The Macon Telegraph and The Macon News. The foundation was funded in January 1990 with about $34 million, and more than $60 million has been invested in the Middle Georgia community, according to the foundation’s website.

Lambert, who heads the Cherry Blossom Festival and Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission, will succeed Jordan as the foundation’s president, Jordan said.

Lambert was reluctant Tuesday to discuss her new position.

“I have been verbally invited to accept the position of president and CEO of the foundation,” she said. “However, I have not received the official confirmation letter, and so at this point it’s inappropriate for me to comment further until that happens, which I expect will be in the next few days.”

Lambert said she “would assume” that the confirmation letter is a formality.

Lambert confirmed she would remain with the Cherry Blossom Festival through next spring’s festival, just four months away. She joined the festival in October 2009, and prior to that she had been an administrator at The Grand Opera House in downtown Macon.

Carolyn Crayton, the festival’s founder, said when Lambert called her Nov. 16 about leaving, Crayton was nearly speechless.

“I personally, surely hate to see her leave, but we certainly have to be happy for her to be taking that position,” Crayton said. “We love her, and she’s just wonderful. ... What a loss, what a loss.”

Crayton said the Cherry Blossom board had not met since Lambert called her with the news, and Crayton didn’t know the process the board would use to replace Lambert.

Jordan said she did not recommend Lambert for the job. The foundation board hired Bill Cummings, president of Cummings Consolidated Corp. in Macon, to find her replacement at the Peyton Anderson Foundation, she said. As one of many services his company provides, Cummings recruits executives. Cummings identified 20-30 candidates before the board selected Lambert, Jordan said.

Ed Sell, chairman of the Peyton Anderson Foundation board, said Jordan has done a “wonderful job.”

“She has had some great ideas that turned into some good projects,” Sell said.

Jordan has agreed to stay on through the end of the year as a consultant, he said.

Cummings “helped us come up with characteristics we wanted in a new president, and Karen met every one of them,” Sell said. “I want to make this clear, selecting Karen had absolutely nothing to do with her mother.”

Crayton said the Peyton Anderson Foundation won’t be the same without Jordan at its helm.

“We just can’t imagine the (foundation) without her,” she said. “But what an honor for Karen to move into what her mother has done so beautifully and wonderfully for this entire area. We are so proud of Juanita Jordan. What a wonderful person, and we love her. But we are extremely happy Karen is moving into that position.”

This story was originally published November 15, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Juanita Jordan retiring from Peyton Anderson Foundation."