Strengthening families for generational change: GCO welcomes Travis Thorne to the team

by Cierra Johnson | Feb 11, 2026

Parental love helps children gain the emotional health, behavioral skills, and academic success that unlocks social mobility.

Strengthening families for generational change: GCO welcomes Travis Thorne to the team

The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) is honored to welcome Travis Thorne as the Vice President of Family. Travis will lead GCO’s Family Initiative and shape the future vision of its flagship program, Raising Highly Capable Kids (RHCK), which is an in-person, 10-week program designed to equip parents and caregivers with practical tools, honest conversations, and confidence to raise healthy, responsible, and caring kids.

Travis brings more than 20 years of experience in leadership, relationship management, and strategic problem-solving. Alongside his corporate career, he has spent many years serving in ministry, leading family and men’s small groups focused on strengthening households through practical guidance around money, marriage, and legacy. A Georgia native who grew up in Jonesboro, Travis combines professional expertise with a deep personal commitment to families across the state.

Travis was drawn to GCO because of its holistic approach to poverty and opportunity. “At GCO, we understand that poverty, especially generational poverty, is about more than income,” Travis shared. “It’s often about fractured relationships and a loss of hope. Strong families are where a sense of purpose, belonging, and connection begins.” That belief closely aligns with GCO’s mission to advance solutions that expand opportunity and help Georgia families build durable paths out of poverty.

GCO selected Travis to lead the Family Initiative because of his unique ability to bridge strategy and relationships. His experience building trusted partnerships in high-performance environments, combined with years of hands-on ministry and family engagement, positions him to lead family-centered work that is both relational and scalable.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Travis to our team to lead our work in strengthening families,” said Eric Cochling, GCO’s Chief Program Officer and General Counsel. “Travis brings a unique mix of professional experience, drive, and a passion for this work that I am confident will take our family-focused initiatives to the next level and allow us to have a much deeper impact in the communities we serve.”

In his role, Travis will focus on empowering parents as the primary leaders in their children’s lives and strengthening parent-child relationships to drive generational change. This includes enhancing and expanding RHCK. Unlike many parenting programs that focus only on parents, RHCK brings families together in cohorts that build social relationships, trust, and connection, especially in communities connected to Title I schools, which serve high numbers of low-income households.

Looking ahead, Travis envisions RHCK growing through strong partnerships with faith-based organizations, schools, and community leaders. “We listen, we learn, and we build alongside families,” he said. His vision is to see RHCK become a trusted, community-anchored model that meets families where they are and creates a lasting impact across generations.

With Travis’s leadership, GCO is excited to expand the reach and success of its Family Initiative.

Hear from Travis on the vision behind GCO’s Family Initiative:

Affordability tops the list of state priorities for 2026

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Feb 6, 2026

Georgia news, in the news, current events, Georgia happenings, GA happenings

Affordability tops the list of state priorities for 2026

Eric Cochling in the DC Journal

Originally published February 3, 2026

A full agenda is underway in the 35 states that have just convened their legislative sessions. Affordability is the buzzword heard far and wide, as millions of Americans continue to struggle with the high cost of living. Economic concerns are likely to dominate statehouses in 2026, especially in an election year, with 36 states holding gubernatorial races. The issues debated in the legislative halls will almost certainly spill onto the campaign trails.

Even without the election-year backdrop, state lawmakers will feel pressure from their constituents to do something about rising household costs. Beyond the cost of groceries and lingering inflation, nothing has quite captured the cost-of-living spotlight like the skyrocketing price of housing.

Home ownership, once a staple of the American Dream, is out of reach for many, but especially the poor and younger generations. The average first-time homebuyer is now 40, a striking shift from the 1980s and 1990s, when Americans usually bought their first home in their late 20s or early 30s.

Owning a home is the key to moving up the economic ladder and building wealth, but it also plays an important role in helping people build families and communities. When Americans no longer see homeownership as part of their future, they delay starting families and putting down roots.

Many state and local governments recognize the magnitude of this problem — and, thankfully, have a great deal of control over housing policy through zoning, permitting and land-use rules. State leaders can look to Montana as an example; it recently passed housing reforms that are set to expand supply and reduce prices.

Read full article here

Eric Cochling is chief program officer and general counsel at the Georgia Center for Opportunity.