Fractional COOs in Atlanta Making Things Happen in 2025

Atlanta Interim Chief Operating Officers to Know

Atlanta is a city known for its entrepreneurial spirit, rich cultural diversity, and fast-rising influence in tech, media, logistics, and social enterprise. It’s a place where legacy brands and startups coexist—and where execution can make or break momentum. That’s why more companies across Atlanta and the surrounding metro area are turning to fractional Chief Operating Officers (COOs) to provide senior-level operational leadership without the full-time overhead.

Fractional COOs bring clarity, direction, and momentum. They help founder-led companies and nonprofit organizations build structure, implement systems, and scale sustainably—all while staying aligned with mission and culture.

At Digital Reference, we’re on a mission to make the talent ecosystem more efficient, transparent, and human. That means surfacing the professionals who often operate behind the scenes, helping teams scale, pivot, and grow. The fractional COOs featured in this guide represent some of Atlanta’s most effective, thoughtful, and impact-driven operators.

Our Methodology

To build this curated list, we conducted research and outreach across Atlanta’s business ecosystem. Each individual met the following criteria:

• Active in fractional, interim, or part-time COO roles
• Based in Atlanta or the greater metro area
• Public-facing with accessible profiles or firm websites
• Demonstrated impact across strategy, team building, operational systems, or organizational growth
• Strong alignment with Digital Reference’s values of radical transparency, structured storytelling, and reputation-driven work

These are the operators companies call when the strategy is set, but execution needs power.

Meet the Fractional COOs in Atlanta Making Things Happen

Beata Rouleau

With a track record of leadership in project management, team operations, and nonprofit strategy, Beata Rouleau offers fractional COO services to purpose-driven organizations across Atlanta. She specializes in creating internal alignment and strengthening operations from the inside out.

Why She Stands Out:

• Deep experience in mission-led organizations, systems design, and cross-functional coordination
• Supports teams in aligning vision, execution, and performance metrics
• Known for being a calm, strategic operator who builds durable internal infrastructure

Beata is the right fit for organizations looking to balance mission with operational rigor, especially in complex stakeholder environments.

Steve Genett

Steve Genett is a fractional COO and growth consultant with a background in finance, insurance, operations, and performance optimization. With decades of experience in both corporate and entrepreneurial environments, Steve helps companies move from founder-led chaos to systematized growth.

The Digital Reference team was able to connect with Steve 1-on-1 for a few questions, here's what he said:

1) What's your typical approach to fractional engagements?

"To-date I've been approaching engagements as more time & capacity-based than measured by finite projects or milestones. But consistently, my value and best fit for a fractional engagement is when a venture is either new or launching a new business model. Both of those states are exciting and cause companies to consider if they have the right expertise - or even just enough time - to accomplish their goals."

2) What type of clients are you the best fit for?

"My niche is specialty business insurance. Everything from state-specific nuances to regulation, a huge process scope to complete a transaction end-to-end, to picking the right technology solutions - there's a ton of fascinating work in this space to keep me busy."

3) What type of clients are the best fit for you?

"The best clients for me are firmly grounded in the insurance industry and are experts within their function. But at the same time, they are likely looking to build something new or tackle some problem which is adjacent to, rather than within, their expertise. These situations are my best fit where I can help provide experience and elbow grease to fill the gaps."

4) When it comes to Ops what are your specialties?

"I'm best at delivering operations solutions where the problems are the messiest and haven't been solved for yet. The context of being fractional is well suited to the "zero to one" work. From there, I have a long history of helping streamline and optimize processes. But when it's time to scale, that's a different toolbox than what I bring to an engagement."

Why He Stands Out to Digital Reference:

• Offers a insurance-forward approach to operational leadership
• Works with companies navigating scaling challenges, team realignment, and workflow automation
• Known for building repeatable frameworks that allow organizations to grow with discipline

Steve is a go-to partner for founders in the insurance industry looking to professionalize operations, manage complexity, and create internal accountability.

Why Atlanta Is Embracing Fractional Operations Leadership

Atlanta’s business ecosystem is fast, diverse, and increasingly hybrid. From film studios to fintech startups to civil rights nonprofits, the city has become a magnet for innovation—and the growing complexity demands strong operational leadership.

Why fractional COOs make sense for Atlanta companies:

• Founders need support but aren’t ready to hire full-time C-suite roles
• Many organizations are growing quickly across multiple revenue streams or platforms
• Companies want flexibility, access to expertise, and executional accountability
• Mission-driven orgs want leadership that understands culture, compliance, and communication

Fractional COOs step in and help organizations navigate this complexity with structure, empathy, and urgency.

What Makes a Great Fractional COO?

Across every market, high-performing fractional COOs share several traits:

• They are system builders, not just task managers
• They see patterns others miss and design solutions that scale
• They know how to lead through ambiguity, transition, and growth
• They coach teams while building capacity
• They don’t just bring answers—they build systems that outlast them

Ultimately, fractional COOs combine strategy with execution, helping organizations grow faster, smarter, and more sustainably.

The Digital Reference Viewpoint

At Digital Reference, we believe in creating a platform where professionals own their work stories—not just their job titles. For fractional leaders, this means:

• Capturing verified outcomes from multiple clients
• Showcasing impact in a structured, portable format
• Building reputation based on truth, trust, and transparency

We’re building tools for the future of work, where reputation travels with you, and the value of your contributions isn’t lost in someone else’s org chart.

Final Thoughts

The future of operations is flexible, mission-aligned, and built around outcomes—not job titles. The fractional COOs featured here are redefining what it means to lead from the inside.

Whether you're a startup founder preparing for Series A, a nonprofit navigating organizational growth, or a company needing an operational reset—fractional COOs can be your competitive edge.

Explore their work. Connect with them. And when you’re ready to showcase your impact or discover the right leader for your next phase—start with Digital Reference.

– The Digital Reference Team

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