Atiba Mbiwan

Atiba Mbiwan joined the ABC Board of Directors in 2008 after being a member and supporter for many years. His love for cycling began in 1970 when he started delivering newspapers on a bike in his hometown of Jamaica, Queens. For the past 14 years, “Coach Atiba” has led the Bike Ride Across Georgia Dream Team in the annual trek across the state, helping more than 125 middle school youth complete the ride with the assistance of adult mentors.

Atiba serves as the Associate Director of The Zeist Foundation, a family foundation based in Atlanta that supports nonprofits serving children and youth in the areas of Education, Arts & Culture and Health & Human Services. Prior to joining The Zeist Foundation, Atiba served as the Program Officer responsible for education grantmaking at the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation from 2001-2005.

Before entering the philanthropic world, Atiba worked in the nonprofit field with a range of organizations that touched on youth development - serving homeless families across Georgia, supporting young social entrepreneurs in the southeast region and building quality after-school programs around Atlanta. He was instrumental in creating and sustaining AmeriCorps Programs in Georgia throughout the 1990s and has been a consultant with the Corporation for National and Community Service.

He earned his B.A. at Brown University (’82) where he spent a semester at the University of Lagos, Nigeria (Fall 1980). Upon graduation, he became a high school Math teacher-counselor and eventually earned a National Endowment of the Arts Summer Fellowship at the City University of New York Graduate Center.

Atiba is married to Tiffany Friesen and has three children – two young adults, Keisha & Keenan and one high school student, Jacob, plus a grandson, Quatez, who is preparing to enter pre-K.