About ACE

ACE was founded on a strong vision to provide access to capital for those hard working, committed and persistent individuals who have a dream to own and operate a small business.

Our mission at ACE is to provide hope and opportunity for people to create financial freedom for themselves. We do this by providing small business loans, financial education programs, coaching and connections so that people can fulfill their dreams, create economic security for their families and contribute to their communities.

ACE Team

ACE is powered by this management and operational team.

Grace Fricks, President and CEO

Grace Fricks is the founder and CEO of Appalachian Community Enterprises (ACE), a North Georgia non-profit agency that provides capital and expertise to build small businesses.

After excelling for two decades in health and social services throughout the U.S., Ms. Fricks was awarded the 2002 Advocate of the Year from the Georgia Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities. She combined her social services expertise with an MBA from The University of Memphis and founded ACE with its award-winning focus on promoting financial independence among women and minority populations.

Ms. Fricks serves as membership chair of the Rotary Club of White County, treasurer of the Georgia Micro Enterprise Network (GMEN), treasurer of People PAC of Georgia and serves on the Rural Committee of the national Association for Enterprise Opportunity. She is the recipient of the 2005 Founder's Award for GMEN during the same year that one of ACE's borrowers was honored as the Micro Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2006, Grace was a finalist for the Atlanta chapter of the National Association of Women’s Business Owners Inspiration award. Grace served on the Georgia Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Community Services and on the Board of Trustees for North Georgia Technical College.

Holly Hunt, CFO

Ms. Hunt is a native of Atlanta and holds a degree in Accounting from North Georgia College and State University.  She is also a graduate of the Institute of Financial Education's School of Executive Development at the University of Georgia and the Bank Director's College at Community Bankers Association.  Ms. Hunt enjoyed 22 years in the banking industry before leaving to pursue other interests in May of 2006.  Most recently, she served as Chief Financial Officer of the Citizens Bank of Forsyth County in Cumming, Georgia, organizing Chief Financial Officer of The National Bank of Gainesville, organizing Chief Financial Officer of Peach State Bank in Gainesville, and organizing Chief Financial Officer of Jefferson State Bank in Cumming. In addition to working with ACE, Ms. Hunt now volunteers as an organizer/board member for Stepping Stone Farm, Cleveland, Georgia, and serves on the Board of Directors for CASA's Enotah District

Rosann Kent, Vice President

With 20 years experience as a master communicator, Ms. Kent's role at ACE is to oversee operations and financial literacy education. As a former micro business owner and a single mother, she understands the barriers facing many ACE small business owners as well as how to overcome them. She previously served as interim director of entrepreneurial education at North Georgia Technical College and as adjunct instructor at Piedmont College.

Ms. Kent is the only Georgian certified to teach the CORE FOUR© Business Planning Course for Success and is also certified to teach The Money Camp for Grown-Ups. Ms. Kent serves on the executive advisory board for the Appalachian Studies Center at North Georgia College and State University. Ms. Kent recently received her Masters of Arts in Storytelling at East Tennessee State University.

Sandy Headley, Director of Lending

Sandy has more than 20 years banking experience, working as a mortgage originator and mortgage processor/closer at Colonial Bank as well as an Assistant Vice President of Loan Recovery at SunTrust. She has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida. She has served as a volunteer for Kiwanis, March of Dimes and United Way. Sandy lives in Dawsonville with her husband, Dave, her children, Shelby and Samantha and her dog, Oreo.

Alex Wynter, Loan Officer

Alex was born in Lima, Peru and grew up in New York, to a second generation immigrant family. She moved to Georgia 21 years ago. Fluent in English as well as Spanish, Alex has worked as a mortgage lender at community banks as well in the corporate at Pepsi. She is certified to provide the First Time Homebuyer seminar. Alex has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Brenau University and lives in Suwanee.

Carolyn Adamson, Accounts Administrator and Bookkeeper

A native to north Georgia, Ms. Adamson started her first business, a telephone answering service, at the age of 19. Through the years she has worked as a successful caterer, wedding planner and an interior designer. She is now a micro business owner of Sweetater’s Place (antique dealer) and marketing associate of Mannatech (a glyconutritional company). As a divorced mother of three, Ms. Adamson volunteered her time and worked with other divorced women and single mothers. She was attracted to ACE because she has the opportunity to help those same people. Ms. Adamson brings over 30 years of public and private accounting and bookkeeping to ACE.

Candace Thomas, Office Manager

Ms. Thomas, originally from Madison, GA, moved to Cleveland to marry Greg Thomas, a White County native. As a customer service representative for the White County Chamber of Commerce, she gained an abundance of knowledge about North Georgia and realized how much small businesses contribute to its communities. Now at ACE, she helps those businesses to grow and prosper by making sure behind-the-scene details are handled. One minute Ms. Thomas may be writing the newsletter or a grant and the next completing loan closing papers or answering phone calls. She also volunteers for Georgia Appalachian Center for Higher Education (GACHE) as part of The Reality Store, and Ms. Thomas and her husband, Greg, are volunteers for March of Dimes and the White County Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Thomas is a part-time student at North Georgia College and State University and a full-time mother to two-year old Georgia.

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Governance of Appalachian Community Enterprises

ACE has a volunteer, seven-member Board of Directors from public and private sectors representing the community, businesses, social services and populations served. The board helps establish policy and priorities for program development, oversees the fiduciary functions and major investment decisions of the organization and serves as a resource for overall corporate development.

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Loan Review Committee at Appalachian Community Enterprises

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