When most people talk about changing the world, they mean it as a figure of speech. For Gregg Kennard — pastor, nonprofit founder, certified John Maxwell coach, and former Georgia State Representative — it is a daily operating system. For over 25 years, Kennard has been making deliberate, faith-fueled decisions that have altered the trajectories of thousands of lives in the Greater Atlanta area and beyond. His story is not about overnight success. It is about a man who learned early that every choice carries weight — and chose to carry that weight for others.
MEET THE DECISION MAKERÂ
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 27, 1966, Gregg Kennard has spent more than three decades walking out a singular mission: see the greatness in people and create the conditions for them to reach it. He is the founder and senior pastor of NSPIRE Outreach, a nationally recognized nonprofit ministry launched in 1999 that addresses homelessness, addiction, and domestic violence through comprehensive, whole-person rehabilitation programs. He is a certified leadership coach with the John Maxwell Team, an accomplished musician, and a public servant who served six years as a Georgia State Representative — representing Districts 102 and 101 — from 2019 to 2025.
But before the titles and the tenure, a teenager was volunteering on weekends at a homeless outreach organization in Atlanta — and a calling that took root and never let go.
“I believe homelessness is solvable. We just have to take the limits off and start allowing people to believe in themselves.”
The Origin Decision
A Calling That Started on Weekends
Gregg Kennard did not arrive at his life’s work through a linear career path or a business plan. He arrived there through conviction. As a teenager, he connected with Safe House Outreach, a homeless service organization in Atlanta, and began volunteering on weekends. What started as service quickly became identity.
‘That particular issue just really got into my heart,’ Kennard has said of his early exposure to homelessness. That heartfelt imprint became the blueprint. In 1999, through his church in North Metro Atlanta, he co-founded NSPIRE — and from day one, the vision was radical: not just to shelter the homeless, but to end homelessness altogether by addressing the whole person — mind, body, and spirit.
Building NSPIRE: The 168-Hour Commitment
NSPIRE’s model is not a quick fix. It is a rigorous, structured transformation program that demands the full investment of every participant. Over 13 weeks, clients move through 390 hours of job training, 39 recovery meetings, 39 health workouts, 26 coaching sessions, and 10 individual therapy sessions. The typical client arrives with a mental health diagnosis, a substance abuse disorder, and a felony background — and leaves with certifications, employment, and, in many cases, a college trajectory.
The DECISION 168 philosophy — that every hour of your 168-hour week matters — is not a concept foreign to Kennard. It is embedded in how NSPIRE is designed. Every day is structured. Every hour is accounted for. Every decision inside those 13 weeks is intentional.
One recent NSPIRE participant, facing a potential 20-year prison sentence, was instead referred to the program by a judge who believed the individual needed development over incarceration. Thirteen weeks later, that same individual had earned a GED and enrolled in college.
“When you take the limits off and start allowing people to believe in themselves, it’s amazing what happens.”
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The Statehouse Decision
In 2018, Kennard made another decisive move — he ran for Georgia State Representative and won, representing House District 102 in Gwinnett County. He was re-elected in 2020 and later moved to District 101, representing Lawrenceville and Suwanee. During his tenure, he served on the Industry & Labor, Motor Vehicles, Small Business Development, and Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Committees. He championed criminal justice reform, education investment, and economic opportunity — values that mirrored the mission he had already been living out at NSPIRE for two decades.
He also pushed House Bill 855 to extend PTSD coverage to first responders — a piece of legislation born from the same empathy that drives his work with the homeless. He was a legislator who came to the job already fluent in human struggle.
The Integrity Decision
In 2024, when Kennard’s district was redrawn to place him in the same territory as his mentor and colleague, State Rep. Sam Park, Kennard did something rare in politics: he chose not to run.
‘My heart wouldn’t be in opposing him,’ Kennard said publicly. Park responded by calling Kennard ‘a good and honorable man; and a friend.’ It was a moment that revealed the character of a man for whom relationships and integrity outrank ambition — a decision that speaks louder than any legislation.
What’s Next: Building Permanent Housing
Having served 25 years and housed over 70 clients at a time — spending millions in rental costs in the process — NSPIRE is now working toward owning its own residential community. Kennard recently became an official fundholder through the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia to build the financial foundation for this next chapter. The goal is clear: create a permanent, owned residential hub where NSPIRE clients can thrive long-term.
‘We’ve been paying rent for 17 years,’ Kennard said. The next decision? Own the ground beneath the mission.
The Q&A
A Conversation with Gregg Kennard
D168: Gregg, your career spans ministry, nonprofit leadership, politics, and coaching. What is the common thread that ties all of it together?
Gregg: Service. Every role I have stepped into has been about showing up for people who needed someone to show up for them. Whether that is someone sleeping on the streets, a constituent in my district, or a coaching client trying to find their next step — my job has always been to see the greatness in them and help create the environment where that greatness can emerge. That is the mission. Everything else is just the platform.
D168: NSPIRE has been operating for 25 years. What does a 25-year commitment to a single mission teach you about decision-making?
Gregg: It teaches you that decisions are not just moments — they are directions. When I started NSPIRE in 1999, I did not know how far it would go. But I decided the kind of impact I wanted to have, and then I made a thousand smaller decisions every week to stay aligned with that direction. Twenty-five years later, I can see how each of those weekly decisions — each of those 168 hours — compounded into something larger than I imagined. Consistency of decision is the secret.
D168: Your NSPIRE program is incredibly structured — 390 hours of job training, 39 recovery meetings, 39 health workouts, all within 13 weeks. Why is that level of intentionality so important in your model?
Gregg: Because transformation does not happen by accident. The people we serve have lived in chaos — unpredictable environments, broken systems, fractured relationships. When you introduce structure, you introduce the possibility of trust. You teach the body and the mind that life can be ordered. That decisions have consequences — good ones, not just bad ones. The structure is not discipline for discipline’s sake. It is a gift. It says: ” Your time is valuable. Your week is valuable. You are worth a plan.
D168: You left the Georgia General Assembly in 2025 after choosing not to run against your mentor. What did that decision cost you, and what did it give you?
Gregg: Honestly? It cost me a seat. But it gave me my integrity, which I already had, but in that moment, I got to demonstrate it publicly. We live in a political culture that rewards ambition above almost everything else. Choosing friendship and principle over a campaign felt countercultural. But leadership is not just about the decisions you make when it is easy. It is about who you are when no one would blame you for choosing differently. I made that decision in about five minutes. Some things are not complicated when you know your values.
D168: DECISION 168 is built on the idea that every hour of your week is a decision. How does that philosophy show up in your daily life?
Gregg: I wake up with intention. Every morning is a decision about who I am going to be that day and who I am going to serve. Running NSPIRE, coaching clients, being present for my family — none of that happens without being deliberate about where my hours go. I do not always get it right. But I always try to be honest about where my 168 hours went at the end of each week. That accountability is humbling and clarifying at the same time.
D168: What is the most important piece of advice you would give to a young leader just starting out?
Gregg: Decide who you are before the world tries to decide for you. Your values, your calling, your non-negotiables — get clear on those before pressure shows up. Because pressure always shows up. And in the moment of pressure, you will not have time to figure out what you believe. You will only have time to act on what you already know. So know it early. Decide early. And then live forward from that decision every single week.
D168: What is next for NSPIRE, and what decision are you most focused on making well right now?
Gregg: We are moving toward owning our own housing. For 17 years, we have been leasing apartments to house our clients — and that has served us well — but we have paid millions in rent, and it is time to put that investment into something that belongs to the community we serve. I want to build a residential campus where people can not only get back on their feet but stay on them. That is the next big decision: how do we create permanence for people whose lives have been defined by impermanence? That is what we are working on. And I believe we are going to get there.
The Bottom Line
Gregg Kennard is the definition of a DECISION Maker. Not because he has made perfect decisions, but because he has made intentional ones — consistently, courageously, and in service of others. From a teenager volunteering on weekends to the founder of a 25-year institution, from the Georgia State House floor to the housing project that will outlast his career — every decision has pointed in the same direction. Toward people. Toward purpose. Toward legacy.
“I see the greatness in you. We expect it. And we’re going to give you the support to reach it.”
Connect & Support
NSPIRE Outreach | 1305 Lakes Pkwy, Lawrenceville, GA 30043
nspireoutreach.org | (800) 775-9020
Gregg Kennard on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gregg-kennard-b53464162
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