ROOTED IN ATLANTA

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January, 2025

By Shannon Doyle Bell

For Carl and Dr. Cherie Hill, Atlanta is more than a place to live, it is a living legacy. With their three children, Carter, a seventh grader; Callie, fourth grader; and Ciara, Pre-K, the Hills call the Upper Westside home, where history, purpose, and service converge. Their story reflects five generations of Atlanta roots, a deep belief in public education, and a shared commitment to giving back to the city that has shaped their family for over a century.

DISCOVERING THE NEIGHBORHOOD THE HILLS CALL HOME

In 2017, while living in the Summerhill neighborhood, the Hills wanted to remain within city limits living closer to Emory Hospital and Coca-Cola, where Carl worked at the time. They needed more space for their growing family. A chance Zillow search led Carl to explore the West Highlands redevelopment, sparking curiosity about the area’s transformation.

“When we learned about the ‘new’ planned development at Westside Station, we went to the grand opening and secured the second lot reservation fee on the spot. We knew this was an up and coming place to be!” - Carl

RAISING THE NEXT GENERATION

For the Hills, supporting Atlanta Public Schools is deeply personal. Their children, Carter, Callie, and Ciara, are fifth-generation Atlantans through Carl’s family lineage and proud APS students. The family believes strongly in neighborhood schools and in investing time and energy into the systems that serve local communities. The ability for their children to walk to school with friends, gather for playdates, and rely on nearby family support has helped foster a strong sense of community and independence. Living close to extended family also makes a tangible difference in the family’s day-to-day function. 

Dr. Cherie Hill: Associate Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine | LEADERSHIP IN HEALTHCARE AND EDUCATION

At Emory, Dr. Cherie Hill leads as a respected OB/GYN and Residency Program Director, mentoring physicians and advancing medical education. In this role, she launched a maternal mortality reduction bundle in partnership with Black Mamas Matter Alliance and Emory Midtown Hospital to address disparities impacting Black women. She also integrated a health education initiative that connects Emory residents with middle school students at Agape Youth & Family Center, expanding health literacy, career exposure, and trust between the medical community and local families.

As program director, Cherie has made robotic training mandatory, ensuring that every resident would achieve competency. The entire chief class graduated with their equivalency certificates in June 2025. Dr. Hill’s grandparents were both physicians, Dr. Marquenta Neblett, MD was a child psychiatrist and Dr. Lawrence Neblett was an OB/GYN. Both Meharry Medical College class of 1954.

“My grandparents inspired me from an early age and showed me that anything is possible, and only later did I grasp how much ground they had broken before me.” - Dr. Hill.

FIVE GENERATIONS SHAPED BY ATLANTA

Carl Hill’s roots in Atlanta run deep. Raised in Southwest Atlanta along Campbellton Road, Carl grew up first in the Adams Park community before moving to the County Line/Sandtown Park area. He graduated from Benjamin E. Mays High School in 2001, continuing a long family tradition of attending Atlanta Public Schools. That tradition stretches back to Carl’s grandmother, Effie Clyde Hill, who graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1941. Born in Atlanta in 1924, she was part of the first generations of Black Atlantans able to attend public high school in the city. She would go on to attend Spelman where Carl’s grandparents would eventually meet during their college years when his grandfather played football at Morehouse College, starting the family’s deep connection to Atlanta’s HBCUs, but more importantly, achieving what their parents were not afforded the opportunity to do, receive an education. It was only one generation prior with Carl’s great-grandmother, Effie’s mother, that Beatrice “Bessie” Sunday, the matriarch of the family, moved to Atlanta in 1920 from Pensacola, Florida. 

“My great-grandma didn’t graduate because she couldn’t enroll in high school. Booker T. Washington High School opened in 1924 and was the first high school in Georgia for Black people to attend. She instead worked as a maid at Rich’s (department store, later Macy’s),” Carl shares. 

Carl’s father, Carl Sr., graduated from Harper High School in 1966 and later earned his degree from Fort Valley State University. Carl’s mother, Ethel (Bacote) Hill, moved to Atlanta from Moncks Corner, South Carolina, to attend Spelman College, graduating there with the Class of 1971. A few years later at Carver High School, Ethel worked as a school counselor while Carl Sr. taught Social Studies and served as head football coach, setting the stage for the start of their relationship. Later, Carl’s brother would continue the legacy at Atlanta Public Schools graduating from Frederick Douglas High School in 1991.

Although  raised in California,  she also has a legacy in the Atlanta community, having been born her when her mother Dawn Neblett-Cross was a student at Spelman college and her father Warren T. Cross at DeVry University. Her godmother attended and sister also graduated from Spelman. 

HONORING THE PAST, INVESTING IN THE FUTURE

In 2025, after a successful run at Coca-Cola, Carl came “home” to Atlanta Public Schools. He currently serves as the Executive Director of External Affairs at Atlanta Public Schools, working with Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson. This role brings his family’s history and commitment to education full circle. Carl works at APS’s highest level to support strategy, leadership, and system-wide impact. This job is not simply a paycheck for him; it is a calling and an extension of his family legacy.

On May 24, 2021, the family received a proclamation from Atlanta Public Schools and Board Chair Jason Esteves in honor of the late Effie Clyde Hill—a truly special moment for the Hill family.

FUTURE FOCUSED

The Hills are writing their own chapter of Atlanta’s unfolding story. They have invested time, money and service to help shape a brighter future for the Upper Westside. Their family legacy is not only defined by the past, but by the everyday choices they make today to uphold the values that bolstered their family through a century of change. The Hill family represents the best of Atlanta. They are rooted, resilient, and ready to serve.

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Photo Captions in order of appearance:

(pg. 16) Photographer, Joe Carlos, captured the family beautifully during a spirited photo shoot, made even more lively by 4-year old, Ciara, who kept everyone on their toes. Westside Village (cover) made the perfect setting for the Hill family’s unmistakable joy and chill. The images reflect warmth and authenticity, but also a family grounded in purpose and focused on impact.

(pg. 18) Dr. Cherie Hill in white coat, Photo credit: Atlantaprofessionalheadshots.com

(pg. 18) Dr. Cherie Hill with surgical robot

(pg. 18) Dr. Cherie Hill's grandparents, Photo credit: Courtesy of the Neblett-Cross family 

(pg. 18) Photo credit: Jack Kearse - Emory Gynecology & Obstetrics Magazine (Summer 2019)

(pg. 19 Carl’s grandmother (left), great-grandmother (center), and great-aunt (right) depicting 'patrons' photographed by the 'Atlanta Daily World' during the 1940s and later featured in Dr. “Skip” Mason’s, “African-American Entertainment in Atlanta.”

(pg. 19) Effie Hill’s high school graduation photo, Booker T. Washington yearbook, 1941.

(pg. 20) Homer Carey Hill Sr., Carl’s grandfather, played football at Morehouse in 1950. He was at Morehouse during the same years as Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Photo Credit: Morehouse College football team, 1950. Courtesy of Morehouse College Archives, Atlanta University Robert W. Woodruff Library.

(pg. 20) Carl Hill, Sr., played football for Harper High School,  #10 - 1962-1966

Photo Credit: Harper High School Yearbook 1965