The Millenium Gate Museum

RODNEY MIMS COOK, JR.

Founder and President

Rodney Mims Cook, Jr. is a graduate of Washington and Lee University. He is a scholar of the American Academy in Rome. At the age of 15, he initiated the campaign to successfully save the 5000+ seat Fox Theatre and in 1974 was a White House intern. In 1982, he established Rodney M. Cook Interests, a design/development company. In 1987, he established PolitesCook Architects which designed the Newington Cropsey Museum, NY, housing the largest American collection of Hudson River School paintings (Arthur Ross Award to founder).

MAC SCHMITZ

Executive Director

Mac Schmitz is the Executive Director of the National Monuments Foundation, parent organization of the Millennium Gate Museum. He received a BA in Environmental Studies from Rollins College in 2012 with a focus on sustainable urban development. He began working on Rodney Cook Sr. Peace Park with the National Monuments Foundation in 2012 incorporating plans for urban farming and community revitalization. He has since been working with the foundation to inspire a global peace movement through the example of Georgia's history of peacemakers. He is a resident of Peachtree Corners and is also an accomplished drummer and professional musician.

PADMINI SINGH SHARMA

Head of Strategy

Padmini Singh Sharma is a conservationist and a passionate brand builder. She believes in the power of brands to be both a force for good and growth through ethical responsibility, community impact, diversity, inclusion, and environmental sustainability. Padmini has significant experience in Corporate Social Responsibility and Brand Management for organizations such as The Nobel Foundation, US Olympic Association, NUUN Jewels, Mayo Clinic, etc. Her experience growing up in India, and executing client projects across North America, Europe, China and India, have lent Padmini an international perspective. She currently serves as the Strategy Director for The National Monuments Foundation and is responsible for executing its mission of peace and civil equality. While at IMG, her project, “The Honeywell-Nobel Initiative", a multi-country education program, won the Gold Sabre Award. Padmini is a resident of Atlanta, where she lives with her husband and two children.

RICHARD Kerfoot

Museum Director

Richard Kerfoot started with the Millennium Gate Museum as a research intern in 2014, and has been with the Museum ever since; now the Museum Director, Richard oversees the museum’s collection, supervises and negotiates the exchange or loan of artifacts, and organizes exhibitions, along with also managing building operations. He holds a Bachelor of Sciences in Public Policy from Georgia Tech, as well as an Associate of Sciences in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University Perimeter College. A proud nerd, in his spare time he enjoys a plethora of science fiction and fantasy media - including Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, and the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, among others - and is a member of the LARP and cosplay communities. He currently lives in the Atlanta metro area with his girlfriend and their dog.

The Gate Museum

Our TEAM

RODNEY MIMS COOK, JR.

MAC SCHMITZ

PADMINI SINGH SHARMA

RICHARD Kerfoot

See what’s keeping us busy…

Millennium Gate Museum