Lisa-Ruth Karnes, Cobb Community Foundation, on Vital Signs, Community Data, and Workforce Housing in Cobb County (North Fulton Voices, Episode 20)
On this edition of North Fulton Voices, Jack Murphy and Kathy Swahn of the North Fulton Improvement Network sit down with Lisa-Ruth Karnes, Director of Programs at the Cobb Community Foundation, to discuss Vital Signs, a countywide initiative that surveys and interviews residents actively seeking services to understand what is actually driving hardship in Cobb County. Lisa-Ruth came to this work through years of direct contact with families at North Fulton Community Charities, first as an ESL teacher and workforce development professional and then as a grants manager before joining the Foundation to lead its grant-making strategy and community programs.
Vital Signs asks a deceptively simple question: how is the community really doing? To answer it, the Foundation partnered with Kennesaw State University to design a survey and conduct interviews through 23 nonprofit partners who already had relationships with service-seeking residents. The preliminary findings point to transportation, housing costs, utilities, food access, and caregiving as the most pressing barriers. One finding that stood out: when residents were asked whether they feel they belong in their community, the answers raised a concern that goes beyond any single housing or transportation program. Isolation compounds every other hardship. When people stop feeling connected, they stop participating, and the problems become harder to address.
North Fulton Voices is presented by the North Fulton Improvement Network. The show series is proudly sponsored by John Ray Co. and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
- Vital Signs goes straight to the source. The Foundation surveyed and interviewed residents who are actively seeking services across 23 Cobb nonprofits. The focus was not on advocates or funders, but people experiencing the need firsthand.
- The same barriers keep appearing together. Preliminary data from Kennesaw State University points to transportation, housing costs, utilities, food, and caregiving as the top pressures. They compound each other and hit the same families at the same time.
- Social trust is what makes this data collection possible. The Foundation could not reach service-seeking residents on its own. It took nonprofits that already had relationships in those communities to make contact.
- Data without action is just a report. Vital Signs is designed as a platform for convening. The October 2026 launch event kicks off community forums, with 2027 focused on collaborative grant-making tied directly to what the data shows.
- Isolation may be the most dangerous indicator. When residents were asked whether they feel they belong in their community, the answers were sobering. People who feel disconnected stop participating, which makes every other problem harder to solve collectively.
- Small-scale housing solutions are already in motion in Cobb. Faith-based land partnerships, a cottage community for unhoused students, and a tiny home village are all active examples of communities working around zoning and cost barriers.
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:24 Introduction and the housing pipeline problem in North Fulton
01:10 Why seniors staying in homes longer creates a logjam for young families
02:14 North Fulton’s declining 25-to-34 age group and growing senior population
03:22 Introducing the Vital Signs initiative and Lisa-Ruth Karnes
04:21 Lisa-Ruth’s background: Carter Center, North Fulton Community Charities, and the path to Cobb Community Foundation
05:48 Translating individual family stories into data for funders
07:49 What Vital Signs is and how it works
09:46 Two buckets of data: KSU survey and interviews, plus census and ARC secondary data
11:55 Preliminary findings: transportation, housing, utilities, food, and caregiving top the list
13:18 The October 2026 launch event and the move from data to community action
15:15 How Vital Signs compares to the Athens Wellbeing Project
17:31 Whether data helps communities move beyond anecdotal conversations
19:07 Housing affordability misconceptions and what is already happening in Cobb
20:19 Faith-based land partnerships, Bridge Communities, and cottage housing for unhoused students
22:00 Why cross-sector collaboration is not optional
25:56 The six community indicators on the Vital Signs heat map
27:09 What concerns Lisa-Ruth most: isolation and loss of belonging
28:59 What makes her optimistic: economic mobility research and Charlotte’s example
30:18 How to connect with Lisa-Ruth and the Cobb Community Foundation
Lisa-Ruth Karnes, Director of Programs, Cobb Community Foundation
Lisa-Ruth Karnes is Director of Programs at the Cobb Community Foundation, where she oversees Vital Signs, the foundation’s grant and scholarship programs, and support for fundholders. Before joining the Foundation, she spent several years at North Fulton Community Charities in Roswell, where she rebuilt the workforce development program and later managed grants and donor relations. Earlier in her career, she worked with The Carter Center’s Human Rights Program. Lisa-Ruth holds a degree from Kennesaw State University and lives in the North Fulton area.
The Cobb Community Foundation holds funds on behalf of donors, families, businesses, and organizations and supports the nonprofit community in Cobb County through grant-making, scholarships, and community investment. Its Vital Signs initiative gathers and analyzes community indicators across education, housing, health, workforce and economics, family care, and transportation in partnership with Kennesaw State University and Neighborhood Nexus, with the goal of turning the findings into collaborative action.
Website | LinkedIn | Cobb Community Foundation on LinkedIn
North Fulton Improvement Network
The North Fulton Improvement Network (NFIN) is a think tank made up of community leaders from a variety of sectors, focused on missing middle housing and the livability challenges confronting North Fulton. We come from the six cities making up the northern half of Fulton County, Georgia—Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park, Roswell, and Sandy Springs—and are working to address the widespread yet little-known financial vulnerability across the region. With stakeholders from sectors including business, nonprofit, faith, government, and citizens, we center our work on five areas of impact; seek to educate the public about these issues; build a network of individuals and organizations with innovative private and public solutions; and connect resources to those in need.
The leadership team of NFIN is Jack Murphy, Nancy Diamond, and Kathy Swahn.
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Jack Murphy
Jack Murphy is a volunteer with The Society of St. Vincent de Paul and is Chair of the North Fulton Improvement Network. He is also in his 21st year of working for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.
He has served on both the National and Georgia Boards of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, responsible for Diversity, Advocacy, & Systemic Change. Jack is currently the national SVDP chair of Systemic Change and Advocacy.
Jack received a BA in psychology from Belmont Abbey College and an M.Ed. from UNC-Greensboro. Jack and his wife, Nancy, a retired elementary school principal, have two grown daughters and two grandchildren. They live in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Kathy Swahn
Kathy has resided in the North Fulton area for almost 45 years. She has watched the community evolve from what was “unincorporated Fulton County” to a six-city bustling suburban community. Her history has been marked by a strong emphasis on children: she raised two daughters as a stay-at-home mother, held leadership positions in school PTAs and Girl Scouts, participated in the National Charity League and the North Fulton Council of PTAs, and held the position of chair of the Superintendent’s Advisory Council.
Kathy resumed her career by entering the nonprofit sector. She joined the team at North Fulton Community Charities, running their holiday program, becoming Development Director and successfully managing the $3 million capital campaign for their Elkins Road location. Along the way, she also served on the DFACS Board and chaired the board of the Fulton County Continuum of Care for four years.
After having the opportunity to join in the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program, Kathy was surrounded with a dynamic group of folks who worked to create The Drake House. Since 2004, she served as board chair for the first four years, executive director for nine years, and is now retired. Over those years, The Drake House served over 500 single mothers with over 1,000 children and grew the assets of the organization to over $4 million.
Kathy continues to serve The Drake House on the Advocacy Committee, along with her work for NFIN.
She spends much of her time traveling to the DC area, where her children and grandchildren reside.
Sponsor for North Fulton Voices: John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC
The North Fulton Voices show series is proudly sponsored by John Ray Co. and the North Fulton affiliate of Business RadioX®.
John Ray is a podcast show host and producer and owns North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, the North Fulton (Georgia) affiliate of Business RadioX®.
John also operates his own business advisory practice, Ray Business Advisors. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the author of the #1 nationally best-selling book, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices.
John is the host of North Fulton Business Radio and The Price and Value Journey. North Fulton Business Radio, the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton region of Georgia, features a wide range of business and community leaders. The Price and Value Journey focuses on solo and small-firm professional services providers and covers issues such as pricing, value, and business development.
