Mike Mannina: Disrupting Poverty Through Market-Based, Collective Action

by Jeff Bond

At the core of my work is helping global business, communications, and people leaders create meaningful engagement with their teams and customers. Together with my wonderful colleagues at Chat With Leaders Media and People First Elevation Team, we deliver all-hands meeting support, content, podcasts, creative, cross-cultural training, speaker coaching, and strategic advisory solutions. We are committed to unlocking the power of inclusive storytelling, shared experiences, leadership development, and mixed media to help our clients authentically connect with their most important stakeholders.

Our core values—Partnership, Inclusion, and Empowerment—guide everything we do. By fostering strong partnerships, embracing diverse perspectives, and equipping leaders with the tools to succeed, we aim to transform the way people engage while achieving meaningful work.

Outside of work, I cherish time with my wife and three children, balancing my roles as a husband and father with my professional life in Atlanta, GA. Let's connect and explore how we can create impactful media solutions for your business.

With nearly two decades of international experience, including nearly twelve years serving in a variety of policy-making and diplomatic roles in Washington, DC, and the Middle East, Mike Mannina joined Atlanta’s disruptive coffee startup Thrive Farmers in 2015 to launch the company’s sister international development nonprofit, ThriveWorx. As President of ThriveWorx, Mike leads the organization to empower farming communities to thrive by creating customized, market-based solutions to poverty. Prior to ThriveWorx, Mike served as the U.S. Treasury Attaché to Saudi Arabia, as an advisor within various offices of the U.S. Treasury Department, and as a staffer at the White House Homeland Security Council, the Heritage Foundation, and the office of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson. Mike is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds business and journalism degrees from the University of Georgia and an MA in Strategic Studies/International Relations from the United States Naval War College. He is an active member of his local church in Roswell, GA, a husband, and a father of three energetic children ages nine, four, and two.

Discussion Topics

Can you share your founding story of ThriveWorx and how you arrived at your formula that advances flourishing communities across the globe?
How has your experience with this movement informed the way you look at the responsibility of leaders to collaborate and use their influence in the marketplace as a force for good?
What was the impetus of the Thrive Farmers leadership team making the decision to become a Certified B Corporation and joining B Local GA?
How has the B Corporation certification model helped your team score your impact and keep you on track with your mission?
Given the intense polarization in our present-day society – coupled with how your global experience informs your leadership – how do you keep your team unified around purpose and mission towards social impact vs getting too caught up in the division?

Follow/Get In Touch

Follow ThriveWorx on LinkedIn
Visit ThriveWorx.org to learn how Mike’s team is disrupting poverty through market-based, collective action
Follow ThriveWorx on Instagram
Visit ThriveFarmers.com
Follow Thrive Farmers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Our Community Partners

B Local GA: A collection of for-profit companies each dedicated to creating a future where businesses operate as a positive influence on society.
InspirEDU: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks to support education equity with its commitment to youth and their families, through training, device distribution, and technology career development.
AppBarry: An Atlanta-based software engineering team specializing in building custom web and mobile applications, cloud migrations, and software integrations.
Classic City Consulting: An Atlanta-based WordPress design + development, content writing, and SEO consulting firm.
Stratfield Consulting: Helping organizations successfully adapt to a rapidly changing landscape with an approach that integrates proven consulting, staffing, and recruiting services.