By Olivia Chatman, Program Associate – Food Initiatives, Reinvestment Fund Across the country, the shameful reality of limited access to healthy food plagues historically marginalized communities. It is an issue that is rooted in discriminatory policies and disinvestment, and is reflected in the 27.6 million people living in places with inequitable and inadequate access to healthy food, according to our research on supermarket access disparities in the contiguous United States. In cities like Atlanta, supermarket development has notoriously followed patterns of redlining, a discriminatory lending practice beginning in the 1930s, as retailers concentrated development in wealthy, white communities while avoiding low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.  Atlanta’s recently released Fresh Food Access Report showed that 25% of the city’s population lived more than half a mile away from fresh food as of 2020, an indicator of limited food access according to the USDA’s Food Research Atlas. Nationwide, there are significantly fewer chain supermarkets in predominantly low-income areas in comparison to middle-income areas. Similarly, there are approximately half as many chain supermarkets in predominantly Black neighborhoods in comparison to white neighborhoods.  Addressing food access challenges relies on partnerships and collaboration. Community organizing, advocating and engagement are all important pieces in the process of making steps towards food justice and dismantling food system inequities. Reaching these goals requires resources, such as money and technical expertise that can ensure the long-term sustainability of community efforts. Unfortunately, these tools are often not easily accessible in the underserved communities to which they would be most beneficial.   As a national community development financial institution (CDFI) with offices in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, Reinvestment Fund works in a variety of sectors, including food access, healthcare, education, and housing to address historic disinvestment and inequity due to systemic and institutional racism. These historic inequities have prevented certain groups of people, especially people of color, from accessing the resources needed for community development and prosperity. In the food space, Reinvestment Fund has pioneered strategies to provide debt, grants, and technical assistance, and analytical tools to support equitable food systems with programs such as the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative that serves as a model for food access partnership and investment strategies.  Over the last ten years, Reinvestment Fund has deployed over $253 million in financing in for healthy food retail and non-retail projects nationally.  With a dozen studies on topics related to food, including access, financing mechanisms, program design, and food systems, Reinvestment Fund has produced a body of research, which furthers collective knowledge about opportunities and gaps. Reinvestment Fund has also convened peer CDFIs in food systems lending for learning and advocacy towards building the field of expertise and resources to invest in food systems projects and retail food access. Fundamentally, moving towards the creation of a more equitable food system will require continued widespread collaboration between stakeholders and organizations, and the disbursement of knowledge and tangible resources to marginalized communities through organized efforts.   America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative Financing food retailers and other food system businesses to develop, renovate, and expand in historically marginalized communities is one effective approach to addressing inequities in the nation’s food system. These investments help retailers increase availability and access to food in underserved communities while also contributing to local economies. America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) is a national program that embraces this framework by providing capital, in the form of grant funds and technical assistance, to food retail organizations and non-retail food enterprises in underserved areas. HFFI is a public-private partnership administered by Reinvestment Fund on behalf of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development to improve access to healthy food in underserved areas that was established by the 2014 Farm Bill and reauthorized in 2018. Since then, the program has distributed $4.8 million in targeted assistance to 43 food access projects, including grant awardees in 23 states and technical assistance recipients in 12 states.  Through HFFI, organizations and entrepreneurs are receiving grant funds and technical assistance to tackle food access gaps in their communities.  A diverse range of food retail and non-retail enterprises qualify for funding including independent grocers, alternative models – such as virtual and mobile markets – and other businesses looking for upfront capital to support project development, renovation, or expansion. Grant funds can be used for a variety of project needs such as predevelopment necessities, one-time fees, soft-costs, construction, equipment, materials, or as portion of an overall capital project that includes debt and/or local economic development incentives. Local to Georgia, the City of Albany’s Department of Community and Economic Development is using a $150,000 HFFI award to bring an affordable independent grocery store with a low-cost business model to the community. The South Albany community lost its grocery store in 2018 and is designated as a USDA Low Income Low Access area. The new Food for Less will make it easier to access healthy food locally and, while also creating new jobs. To be eligible for the HFFI program, food retail projects must accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Over 42 million low-income Americans receive SNAP benefits and retailers serving low-income communities rely on SNAP sales as a crucial source of revenue for their operations. With an increase in SNAP benefits for US households following the recent update of the Thrifty Food Plan for the first time since its establishment, efforts to expand retailers that accept SNAP benefits through programs such as HFFI complement the modernized plan to elevate food access within underserved populations. HFFI funds are targeted to projects in underserved areas, including the USDA Low Income, Low Access (LILA) areas, and Reinvestment Fund’s Limited Supermarket Access (LSA) areas, in order to address geographic disparities in healthy food access that are rooted in historic disinvestment and disproportionately affect low-income populations, people of color, and rural communities. Addressing the issue of food access for underserved populations by increasing the affordability and accessibility of food is closely tied to national efforts to decrease food insecurity. Increasing food access reduces some of the barriers […]

Longtime Legal Counsel to Retire, Chief & Deputy Chief Legal Counsel Named MARTA Chief Legal Counsel Elizabeth M. O’Neill has announced her retirement after 22 years and will be succeeded by Peter J. Andrews from global law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP on Jan. 1, 2022. MARTA Senior Director of Corporate Law Jonathan J. Hunt will work with Andrews as Deputy Chief Legal Counsel. “Liz has been a tremendous asset to MARTA over the past two decades, previously serving as associate counsel, Chief of Litigation, and interim General Manager,” said GM/CEO Jeffrey Parker. “Her legal expertise and guidance were crucial when expanding our service to Clayton County and in the passage of the 15th amendment. Most recently, she has been instrumental in navigating the legality of COVID-19 restrictions and requirements. She is a trusted colleague and friend and I wish her the best in her retirement.” O’Neill’s successor Peter Andrews has 20 years of legal experience, representing clients in the areas of government law, state and local government contracts and procurement, public transportation, public-private partnerships, request for proposal (RFP) compliance, and public finance. As a former Deputy City Attorney for Atlanta he negotiated agreements with MARTA and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to build the Atlanta Streetcar. Andrews studied political science at Delaware State University and received his Juris Doctor degree from Western New England College of Law. “Efficient and accessible transportation will continue to be critical for the transformation of the Atlanta metro area. As such, MARTA plays such a vital role in our community. Representing MARTA is a source of pride for me and I am thankful for this is a unique and exciting opportunity,” Andrews said. “As a firm and personally, we will miss Peter, however, we understand and share in his excitement at joining an agency as committed to Atlanta as we are,” said Greenberg Traurig President Ernest L. Greer. “We look forward to continuing to have great lawyers like him as members of our exceptional economic development practice who thrive in our historically collaborative culture.” A member of MARTA’s Legal Department for seven years, Jonathan Hunt will assume the position of Deputy Chief Legal Counsel and report directly to Andrews. His experience includes employment with the City of Atlanta, Dentons US LLP, Limited Brands Inc., and BakerHostetler. Hunt earned his Juris Doctor degree from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. Andrews was hired after an extensive industry search that resulted in a competitive recruitment and selection process. He will transition into the role over the next three months and begin serving full-time as Chief Legal Counsel after the first of the year, reporting directly to the General Manager and CEO. This is sponsored content.

It has been a long-standing practice for business people to receive personal coaching to support their advancement and success. This powerful resource also has been made available to those who enter the military, attend post-secondary education, or end up in a large company with a strong professional development program. People outside these parameters have not had access. Until now. Partners in Change (PIC), in partnership with Families First, is seeking to change that reality and level the playing field. PIC is creating a new model of support by bringing this proven tool for advancement to Atlanta adults from under-resourced communities.  “My PIC Coach is the perfect accountability partner. I’m glad I’m in this program because it’s making me work harder to achieve my goals. Founder Neil Shorthouse (who also co-founded Communities in Schools) has long felt drawn to address ways to empower individuals. “Every person deserves the opportunity to build skills and experiences that enable them to create new life trajectories. Our relationship-focused program enables just that.” PIC pairs community members (PIC Members) one-to-one with trained volunteers (PIC Coaches). Offered at no charge to the Members, teams talk weekly for one year, with Coaches offering ongoing opportunities for their Members to build long-term, transformational skills.  “I look forward to our calls. They are a reminder that I’m on a journey and I have a genuine person rooting for me.“ To achieve this mission to bring 1:1 coaching to as many people as possible, PIC’s first task was to identify and develop a coaching model focusing on the Member’s self-empowerment. “We needed to ensure that our Coaches gained communication tools that support their members’ own development and personal growth” says Chief Operating and Engagement Officer Kathleen Bryant. Research has validated the power of this non-directive approach, showing coaching leads to improvements in goal attainment, mental wellness, and quality of life. “We created a virtual, six-hour, interactive training that gives our volunteer coaches skills in active listening, open-ended questions, and constructive challenging” says Bryant. “Listening and reflecting has made my Member comfortable to share her life stories and put things in perspective. Once she talks things through, you can almost see the light bulb go off in knowing what steps are necessary.” With its coaching model refined, PIC turned its focus to the critical work of promoting this new resource in the community. “We have partnerships with a wide range of organizations to spread the word to their clients that this personal tool for growth exists” says Director of Community Partnerships Kim Owens. “Orientation sessions help PIC Members understand our program and prepare for their own success.” Families First CEO DePriest Waddy was thrilled when he heard about PIC’s new coaching program. “This program breaks new ground. At Families First, we have recommitted to building resiliency in our parents rather than dependency. The Partners in Change coaching model seeks that same goal and we are pleased to be offering it to our parents.” Once PIC teams are paired, Members and Coaches share weekly phone calls over one year, exploring the Member’s self-identified goals and supporting his/her progress in achieving them. PIC staff regularly check-in with each team, helping them navigate any challenges and ensuring a strong relationship. In this first year, 98 paired coaching teams have launched and PIC is adding teams weekly in an effort to make this valuable tool available to as many eligible Atlantans as possible. “A number of service paradigms and personal stereotypes are holding many people back” says Shorthouse. “We believe Partners in Change offers a new way for large numbers of adults to assert greater control in their lives. And as each Member and Coach grows through their relationship, their experiences will be shared with family, friends, and community. And that can lead to powerful positive growth for Atlanta as a whole.” Give someone the gift of self-empowerment. Tell others about this free life coaching resource, or become a trained PIC coach yourself. For more information or to apply, visit www.picusa.org or contact [email protected] PIC’s next Coach Trainings will be held Nov. 13 and 16.   This is sponsored content.

Last week, the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) announced ATL Action for Racial Equity, a multi-year, multi-step action plan designed to help address the ongoing effects of systemic racism impacting the Black community. In just a few days since launch, 30 additional metro Atlanta-based companies ranging in size and industry joined the initiative – to-date totaling more than 180 participating organizations. These companies and leaders will leverage the size, scale and expertise of the region’s business community to advance racial equity. Invitations to the initiative remain open, and MAC is inviting all businesses across metro Atlanta to sign on.  ATL Action for Racial Equity focuses on measurable actions across corporate policies, inclusive economic development, education and workforce development – critical areas in addressing the region’s immobility and inequity challenges. See quotes below from the region’s business leaders on why they chose to participate and why this initiative is important, now more than ever. Reach out to [email protected] to learn more. Ed Bastian, CEO Delta Air Lines and 2021 Board Chair, Metro Atlanta Chamber: “In metro Atlanta, our differences are our strength. We work together to make our community and the world better. We are not perfect, but we are committed to preserving and holding up this region’s legacy, especially now. As we tackle economic recovery, public health and the disproportionate impacts on our Black community, our business community must do its part. This is a moral and economic imperative as we work to grow our region’s competitiveness today and into the future.”   Jimmy Etheredge, CEO North America, Accenture: “Accenture is proud to collaborate with the Metro Atlanta Chamber and business leaders across Atlanta to take action on building a more equitable future for our community. Together, we are acting, we are leading, and we are driving change.”  Steve Koonin, CEO, Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena: “We proudly support ATL Action for Racial Equity and promise that our franchise will continue taking the steps and supporting the causes that lead to equity for all in our city.”  Rohit Malhotra, Founder and Executive Director, Center for Civic Innovation: “The Center for Civic Innovation mission and day to day operations are designed to fight for an equity-centered Atlanta. The business community in Atlanta has a long and complicated history with equity in our city— we’re glad to see the Metro Atlanta Chamber call on companies and institutions to take measurable actions that align with their publicly stated values and sentiments. It is in this city’s best interest for this effort to succeed.”  Jenna Kelly, President, Truist Northern Georgia Region, Truist Bank: “At Truist, we firmly believe in building more just, inclusive, and equitable communities by standing for social justice, denouncing racism in all forms, and partnering with people and organizations who are as committed to equity we are. As we continue to have intentional dialogue around the role we can play in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, we’re excited to join the ATL Action for Racial Equity to do our part in making a positive difference throughout Atlanta.”  Mary Schmidt Campbell, President, Spelman College: “If metro Atlanta is to close the region’s stark wealth gap, we all have to commit to bold innovative solutions. Spelman College, committed to the educational excellence of the 2000 Black women who attend the College, is also committed to the educational excellence of students in our neighborhood schools. For the past three years, our students have enjoyed major success in improving the reading scores of students in our neighborhood Washington Cluster Schools. We intend to launch a program that will accomplish improvements in math proficiency. This commitment to the improvement of K-12 education is aligned with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce’s business and community imperative to advance racial inclusion. We are proud to partner with MAC in their strategic approach to advocating for equity.”  Kyle Porter, CEO, SalesLoft: “The social justice and equity issues facing our companies, city, and nation are complex and intense. At SalesLoft we are committed to the necessary introspection, self-reflection, and action to be a more inclusive company because we believe it’s the right thing to do for our team, customers, and marketplace. SalesLoft is joining the ATL Action for Racial Equity because our internal efforts will be magnified and our progress accelerated through collaborative community work. Our community will become our ally and accountability partner providing the space to heed best practices, share wisdom, and generate ideas that will positively impact us all.    Russ Torres, President, Kimberly-Clark Professional: “At Kimberly-Clark, we believe racial equity and justice are moral issues that must be addressed through comprehensive actions to enact meaningful and sustainable change. We are moving with urgency. Therefore, we are proud to partner with ATL Action for Racial Equity in this mission. Their disciplined, multi-year plan leverages the collective strength of metro Atlanta employers to support focused corporate policies that foster inclusive workforce and community development. With more than 1,500 Kimberly-Clark employees in the metro Atlanta area, this initiative is uniquely personal to us. We believe the success of our company depends on creating workplaces, communities, and experiences where inclusion and diversity are evident and thriving. Together with ATL Action for Racial Equity, we look forward to creating a vibrant and more inclusive region that offers opportunity, growth, and long-term value for all.”  Elie Maalouf, CEO, Americas, InterContinental Hotel Group: “We applaud the Metro Atlanta Chamber on this initiative and stand with our peers in the Atlanta business community to advance diversity and inclusion. This commitment and collaboration reflect IHG’s values and inclusive culture, and builds on our own efforts to bring lasting, sustainable progress for the region and our colleagues.”  Paul Bowers (Chairman and CEO) and Chris Womack (President), Georgia Power: “At Georgia Power, we deeply value the diversity of our team and the communities we serve. That’s why we are committed to creating an environment where employees and customers feel a sense of belonging and can be their true authentic selves.  We’re proud to be a part of the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s ATL Action for Racial Equity efforts to do the same here in Atlanta. We believe businesses working together to ensure equality is how we can make a collective impact, and we’re …

Fall has officially arrived in Downtown Atlanta, which means it’s time for cooler temperatures and the return of the Biketober – Atlanta Bike Challenge. Biketober is a fun and free competition to encourage metro Atlantans to experience the joys and benefits of riding a bike. To provide some inspiration to get pedaling, here’s a round-up of the top five ways to enjoy Downtown on two wheels during Biketober. Try a clean commute: With many offices starting to reopen but traffic still at reduced levels, now is a perfect time to give bike commuting a try. If you need a refresher on city cycling, Atlanta Bicycle Coalition offers free virtual classes. Take in the street art: Atlanta is a well-known hotspot for murals and the city now boasts more than 1,000! Downtown has 80 murals, including the iconic John Lewis mural on Auburn Ave. and the famous South Downtown alligator. Why not participate in Biketober by enjoying a self-guided Downtown Bike Mural Tour? We’ve put together a bike tour with turn-by-turn instructions so you can check them out for yourself. Pick one loop or combine the two to start exploring! Both routes kick off near the Five Points MARTA station on Marietta Street for easy access by any mode. North Loop: 4.3 miles, 24+ murals South Loop: 3.2 miles, 38+ murals Be a tourist:  Downtown’s numerous businesses and attractions are up and running with new protocols to keep visitors safe. There’s plenty of nearby bike parking, so check out our event calendar and plan your visit. Take the scenic route: More ambitious cyclists can follow the Stone Mountain Trail from its starting point Downtown near Centennial Olympic Park for nineteen miles all the way to Stone Mountain. If you’re looking for a fun way to rack up miles, this is definitely it. Before you kick off your Halloween festivities, ride to our bike-in screening of “The Wizard of Oz” in Woodruff Park on October 28 at 7pm. The event is free to attend and will feature popcorn and a costume contest. Click your heels together three times, snap on your helmet, and enjoy an evening with family, friends, and neighbors! Even if you cannot make it Downtown, there are still plenty of reasons to participate in Biketober! Biking can improve your health, boost your wellbeing, save you money, and keep you connected to coworkers, friends, and family. Plus, there are fantastic prizes up for grabs. So whether you visit us Downtown or just take a spin around the block, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating Biketober. About Biketober Bicycling is a good way to take care of your mind and body. And taking part in Biketober is a great way to have some fun while doing so. Georgia Commute Options is excited to organize another year of the region’s favorite bike challenge. Grab your friends, family and colleagues and head outside to get your blood pumping and positive vibes flowing. Register with your workplace and ride anytime, anywhere, during the month of October to earn chances to win prizes!  Register for the bike challenge today!   This is sponsored content.

By Olivia Chatman, Program Associate – Food Initiatives, Reinvestment Fund Across the country, the shameful reality of limited access to healthy food plagues historically marginalized communities. It is an issue that is rooted in discriminatory policies and disinvestment, and is reflected in the 27.6 million people living in places with inequitable and inadequate access to healthy food, according to our research on supermarket access disparities in the contiguous United States. In cities like Atlanta, supermarket development has notoriously followed patterns of redlining, a discriminatory lending practice beginning in the 1930s, as retailers concentrated development in wealthy, white communities while avoiding low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.  Atlanta’s recently released Fresh Food Access Report showed that 25% of the city’s population lived more than half a mile away from fresh food as of 2020, an indicator of limited food access according to the USDA’s Food Research Atlas. Nationwide, there are significantly fewer chain supermarkets in predominantly low-income areas in comparison to middle-income areas. Similarly, there are approximately half as many chain supermarkets in predominantly Black neighborhoods in comparison to white neighborhoods.  Addressing food access challenges relies on partnerships and collaboration. Community organizing, advocating and engagement are all important pieces in the process of making steps towards food justice and dismantling food system inequities. Reaching these goals requires resources, such as money and technical expertise that can ensure the long-term sustainability of community efforts. Unfortunately, these tools are often not easily accessible in the underserved communities to which they would be most beneficial.   As a national community development financial institution (CDFI) with offices in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, Reinvestment Fund works in a variety of sectors, including food access, healthcare, education, and housing to address historic disinvestment and inequity due to systemic and institutional racism. These historic inequities have prevented certain groups of people, especially people of color, from accessing the resources needed for community development and prosperity. In the food space, Reinvestment Fund has pioneered strategies to provide debt, grants, and technical assistance, and analytical tools to support equitable food systems with programs such as the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative that serves as a model for food access partnership and investment strategies.  Over the last ten years, Reinvestment Fund has deployed over $253 million in financing in for healthy food retail and non-retail projects nationally.  With a dozen studies on topics related to food, including access, financing mechanisms, program design, and food systems, Reinvestment Fund has produced a body of research, which furthers collective knowledge about opportunities and gaps. Reinvestment Fund has also convened peer CDFIs in food systems lending for learning and advocacy towards building the field of expertise and resources to invest in food systems projects and retail food access. Fundamentally, moving towards the creation of a more equitable food system will require continued widespread collaboration between stakeholders and organizations, and the disbursement of knowledge and tangible resources to marginalized communities through organized efforts.   America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative Financing food retailers and other food system businesses to develop, renovate, and expand in historically marginalized communities is one effective approach to addressing inequities in the nation’s food system. These investments help retailers increase availability and access to food in underserved communities while also contributing to local economies. America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) is a national program that embraces this framework by providing capital, in the form of grant funds and technical assistance, to food retail organizations and non-retail food enterprises in underserved areas. HFFI is a public-private partnership administered by Reinvestment Fund on behalf of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development to improve access to healthy food in underserved areas that was established by the 2014 Farm Bill and reauthorized in 2018. Since then, the program has distributed $4.8 million in targeted assistance to 43 food access projects, including grant awardees in 23 states and technical assistance recipients in 12 states.  Through HFFI, organizations and entrepreneurs are receiving grant funds and technical assistance to tackle food access gaps in their communities.  A diverse range of food retail and non-retail enterprises qualify for funding including independent grocers, alternative models – such as virtual and mobile markets – and other businesses looking for upfront capital to support project development, renovation, or expansion. Grant funds can be used for a variety of project needs such as predevelopment necessities, one-time fees, soft-costs, construction, equipment, materials, or as portion of an overall capital project that includes debt and/or local economic development incentives. Local to Georgia, the City of Albany’s Department of Community and Economic Development is using a $150,000 HFFI award to bring an affordable independent grocery store with a low-cost business model to the community. The South Albany community lost its grocery store in 2018 and is designated as a USDA Low Income Low Access area. The new Food for Less will make it easier to access healthy food locally and, while also creating new jobs. To be eligible for the HFFI program, food retail projects must accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Over 42 million low-income Americans receive SNAP benefits and retailers serving low-income communities rely on SNAP sales as a crucial source of revenue for their operations. With an increase in SNAP benefits for US households following the recent update of the Thrifty Food Plan for the first time since its establishment, efforts to expand retailers that accept SNAP benefits through programs such as HFFI complement the modernized plan to elevate food access within underserved populations. HFFI funds are targeted to projects in underserved areas, including the USDA Low Income, Low Access (LILA) areas, and Reinvestment Fund’s Limited Supermarket Access (LSA) areas, in order to address geographic disparities in healthy food access that are rooted in historic disinvestment and disproportionately affect low-income populations, people of color, and rural communities. Addressing the issue of food access for underserved populations by increasing the affordability and accessibility of food is closely tied to national efforts to decrease food insecurity. Increasing food access reduces some of the barriers …

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Bird migration is one of the most amazing feats in the natural world. Each fall and spring, billions of birds take to the skies, avoiding predators, and dodging turbulent weather as they travel between breeding grounds in the north and wintering grounds in the Caribbean or Central and South America. Some of these migration routes are epic, like the Red Knot that travels more than 9,300 miles one-way each fall and spring, pausing along Georgia’s coast to refuel. Or, the tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird, weighing about the same as a penny, that spends summers in Georgia and then, in a stunning migratory feat, crosses the Gulf of Mexico, a 500-mile trip, in a single 18- to 22-hour flight!  Many of these birds pass through Atlanta where they face a new and dangerous threat—glass-covered, brightly-lit buildings. Current research estimates that between 365 million and 1 billion birds perish each year after colliding with buildings in the U.S. Atlanta is a particularly challenging place for migrating birds, ranking as the fourth most dangerous city during fall migration and ninth in spring for light exposure to migratory birds, according to a 2019 study by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. With an estimated 250 million birds passing over Georgia during spring and 675 million birds migrating over in the fall, it is vital to learn about migration over our state and make our cities safer. Most migrating birds pass through Georgia during the nighttime hours, when skies are calmer, predators are less active, and temperatures are cooler. Large, brightly lit cities wreak havoc on migratory birds as the ever-present glow of artificial light turns the normally safe nighttime sky into a perilous pathway. Bright lights confuse and disorient birds causing them to collide with structures or become trapped in beams of light where they circle until they are exhausted. Once on the ground, brightly lit building lobbies, reflective glass showing trees and shrubs, transparent facades, or even indoor plants near windows can lead to more collisions.  Since 2015, Georgia Audubon has been studying this problem through Project Safe Flight Georgia to gain a better understanding of what buildings are most problematic and which species are most affected. During spring and fall migration, volunteers patrol routes in downtown Atlanta, Buckhead, Dunwoody, as well as at Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State University, and Georgia State University. Through newly developed partnerships with these universities and the Lily Branch Audubon student chapter at the University of Georgia, in Athens, we have opened the door to new research opportunities, student engagement, and the possibility of making the campuses safer for birds.  A sister program to Project Safe Flight, the Lights Out Georgia initiative is a voluntary effort designed to make Georgia safer for our resident and migratory birds. Modeled after similar successful programs in New York City, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Toronto, Lights Out Georgia participants pledge to take bird-friendly steps during spring and fall migration between the hours of 12:00 midnight and sunrise to create safe passage for migrating birds. You can learn more about Light Out Georgia at www.georgiaaudubon.org/lights-out-georgia.  Finally, thanks to a collaborative effort between Georgia Audubon and Dr. Kyle Horton, at Colorado State University, and a generous grant from the Disney Conservation Fund, Georgia Audubon recently launched a new tool allowing us to predict nights of high bird migration and issue Lights Out Alerts. While it might not be possible to dim the lights every single night during migration, reducing or eliminating nighttime lights on the ten or so peak migratory nights each season may be the most palatable approach. Beyond monitoring for building collision victims, we are taking steps to reduce these collisions through education, advocacy, and physically improving problematic buildings. From applying bird-safe film to select buildings with a collision problem to exploring the best avenues for implementing bird friendly glass in new construction projects, Georgia Audubon is working to make Atlanta a city that works not only for its residents, but also for the avian life that shares our space.   This is sponsored content.

Average U.S. credit scores climb to 695 according to Experian’s State of Credit report and new HOPE Financial Wellness Index As we end the second summer since the arrival of COVID-19, Experian® today announced key findings from its 12th annual State of Credit report. This year’s report also serves as a launch for Operation HOPE’s all-new HOPE Financial Wellness Index, which will help shine a consistent light on the current state of consumer credit. Despite a challenging year and a half, the new data shows consumers are managing credit well with average credit scores climbing seven points since 2020 to 695 – the highest point in more than 13 years. “While consumers on average are managing their credit histories well, we know there are many communities in critical need of more financial education and resources” Tweet this According to Experian’s report, many consumers were managing credit well before the pandemic’s arrival and the accommodations afforded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act may have helped consumers protect their financial health. At the same time, stay-at-home orders and record savings levels1 may have contributed to lower unsecured and total debt levels, lower credit utilization rates and fewer missed payments. This year, Experian is partnering with Operation HOPE – the nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to improving financial literacy – to launch the HOPE Financial Wellness Index, which highlights the average credit score in every state and city. According to the index, consumers in Minnesota have the highest credit scores with an average of 726, followed by Vermont (719), New Hampshire (718), Washington (717) and Massachusetts (716). States with the lowest credit scores were found in the south, including Mississippi (666), Louisiana (669), Alabama (672), Oklahoma (672) and Texas (673). The HOPE Financial Wellness Index will be updated regularly and will be used to develop programming and identify communities most in need of financial education and resources. “We believe credit education plays an important role in driving financial inclusion and helping consumers reach their fullest potential,” said Alex Lintner, President Experian Consumer Information Services. “While these findings are positive, we recognize they do not tell the full story and many consumers face financial obstacles due to a limited credit history. We are committed to working with consumers, as well as our partners like Operation HOPE, to improve financial equity and access.” Given the unique circumstances of 2020, this year’s report compared credit trends over the last three years. While consumers took on more mortgage and auto debt, score improvements were supported by fewer missed payments, lower credit utilization rates and reduced card balances and total debt levels year-over-year and prior to the pandemic’s arrival. Highlights of Experian’s State of Credit report include: 2021 State of Credit Report 2019 2020 2021 Average VantageScore® 2 682 688 695 Median VantageScore 687 697 707 Average number of credit cards 3.0 3.0 3.0 Average credit card balance $6,494 $5,897 $5,525 Average revolving utilization rate 30% 26% 25% Average number of retail credit cards 2.50 2.42 2.33 Average retail credit card balance $1,930 $2,044 $1,887 Average nonmortgage debt $25,057 $25,483 $25,112 Average mortgage debt $210,263 $215,655 $229,242 Average auto loan or lease debt $19,034 $19,462 $20,505 Average 30–59 days past due delinquency rates 3.8% 2.4% 2.3% Average 60–89 days past due delinquency rates 1.9% 1.3% 1.0% Average 90–180 days past due delinquency rates 6.6% 3.8% 2.5% “While consumers on average are managing their credit histories well, we know there are many communities in critical need of more financial education and resources,” said John Hope Bryant, Operation HOPE founder and CEO. “By helping people raise their credit scores, we are empowering them to take advantage of one of our nation’s most democratic tools. From housing and employment to healthcare and education, credit worthiness can be leveraged to improve our overall quality of life. We’re committed to using the HOPE Financial Wellness Index as a force for good in the communities we serve.” Understanding generational differences State of Credit also spotlights how each generation is managing their debts, showing scores have improved for every generation year-over-year. This trend is attributed to declining utilization rates and fewer missed payments. Credit utilization rates have declined for nearly every generation since 2019 except Gen Z who saw a slight uptick year-over-year. Similarly, credit card balances decreased for consumers of all age groups except Gen Z who increased their balances by $115 year-over-year. Across the board, consumers are missing fewer payments, with notable improvements seen among the youngest consumers. Gen Z decreased their 90 – 180 days past due delinquency rate by 29 percent year over year to 1.73 in 2021. This is a 72 percent decrease from the same period in 2019. Millennials also decreased their 90 – 180 days past due delinquency rates to 1.73 percent in 2021, down from 4.4% in 2021 and 10.6 percent in 2019. Additional 2021 generational findings from Experian’s State of Credit report include: 2021 findings by generation Gen Z Gen Y Gen X Boomers Silent Average VantageScore® 660 667 685 724 730 Median VantageScore 674 678 699 755 741 Average number of credit cards 1.7 2.7 3.3 3.4 2.7 Average credit card balance $2,312 $4,569 $7,236 $6,230 $3,821 Average revolving utilization rate 31% 30% 30% 21% 13% Average number of retail credit cards 1.6 2.1 2.5 2.5 2.1 Average retail credit card balance $1,125 $1,819 $2,214 $1,887 $1,329 Average nonmortgage debt $12,524 $28,317 $32,898 $24,136 $11,725 Average mortgage debt $192,276 $255,527 $259,100 $198,203 $163,254 Average 30–59 days past due delinquency rates 2.1% 3.1% 3.0% 1.8% 1.1% Average 60–89 days past due delinquency rates 1.0% 1.3% 1.3% 0.8% 0.5% Average 90–180 days past due delinquency rates 1.7% 3.2% 3.4% 2.0% 1.3% A strong credit history and responsible credit management can help consumers save thousands of dollars over a lifetime. For example, a person with a low credit score may pay close to $3,000 more in interest to purchase a $10,000 used car3 and a person with a subprime credit score may pay $241 more per month or $86,503 more over the life of a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loan than a person with a score of 760 or above4. …

By Charles Redding, MedShare CEO & President More than 5 million men, women and children have fled Venezuela since 2014 because of violence, insecurity, and threats aggravated by lack of food, medicine and essential services – making it the world’s second largest refugee crisis, after Syria. The country’s healthcare, local-market, employment and food systems have collapsed. The situation has been further aggravated by political violence and hyperinflation over the past several months. High rates of poverty have left Venezuelans and indigenous populations struggling for a decent life, with an estimated 7 million people vulnerable to disease outbreaks and other emergencies and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The scale to which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected highly developed countries is a clear warning of the impact that it can have on developing countries with far less capacity. Indeed, cases are increasing rapidly in Venezuela, with few doses of COVID-19 vaccine available. In early May 2021, 202,578 cases and 2,226 deaths had been reported – a 45% increase in cases (from 139,545) and a 114% increase in deaths (from 1,038) in just two months since March 1, 2021. This unparalleled challenge to public health is amplified in contexts like today’s Venezuela, where essential medicines, basic medical supplies and qualified personnel are lacking and communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, measles and malaria are pervasive and maternal and infant mortality are on the rise. This is where MedShare steps in… “Thanks to MedShare’s support, our team distributed medical supplies equipment to vulnerable families in five states and the Distrito Capital in Venezuela.” – International Medical Corps Medshare recently partnered with International Medical Corps (IMC) to address the growing Covid-19 outbreak and other realted health challenges brought about due to the poor health system infrastructure. The medical supplies and equipment donated by MedShare complemented International Medical Corps’ health programming in 29 health facilities across the Distrito Capital, Bolívar, Falcón, Miranda, Sucre and Zulia states. Distrito Capital (Caracas) The Distrito Capital has been the most affected by COVID-19 and has passed 30,000 positive cases. On November 24, 2020, International Medical Corps’ Venezuela team distributed MedShare medical supplies and equipment at two health facilities, Dr. Leopoldo Manrique Terrero and Jesús Yerena. The health facilities have a considerable area of influence and serve as two of the main hospitals for the District’s nearly 2 million residents. Bolívar State  Bolívar State is Venezuela´s largest in size and has approximately 2 million inhabitants, according to the last census in 2018. It is home to 39,538 indigenous people, distributed among 455 communities. This population is estimated to have tripled in size since the 1990s, aggravating their ongoing unmet need for access to healthcare, electricity, safe water and waste management. Bolívar has a high risk of COVID-19 transmission as it shares borders with Brazil, Colombia and Guyana. With donations from MedShare, International Medical Corps partnered with the local organization Fomento del Desarrollo Popular and the regional Ministry of Health, to implement a mobile medical team in Bolívar. The teams provided medical care across 11 communities and healthcare consultations to 2,978 people (1,782 female and 1,196 male) in Bolívar State.  Ten health facilities – 1) Camurica, 2) San Antonio del Orinoco, 3) Sayusodiña, 4) Tadakwaña, 5) Chajuraña, 6) Entre Ríos, 7) Santa María de Erebato, 8) Kanadakuni, 9) Majadakuwe Mai and 10) Nichare – received medical supplies donated by MedShare, which included pill bottles, face masks, face shields, syringes and needles in October 2020 to support ongoing activities in Bolívar. Falcón State As elsewhere in Venezuela, new COVID-19 cases and an increase in hospital admissions have been challenging the state’s already weakened health sector. On November 30, 2020, International Medical Corps supported three health facilities, two hospitals and one outpatient clinic, with donated medical supplies and equipment from MedShare. Their team provided Wilfredo Medina Outpatient Clinic, located in La Vela de Coro city, and Ezequiel Zamora and José María Espinoza Maternal Hospitals, located in Punto Fijo city and Coro city, respectively, with bandages, gauze, catheters, disposable washcloths, gloves, facemasks, syringes, needles and more. Miranda State Miranda is the second most populous state in Venezuela, home to 3.7 million people. Most of its communities are low-income and have difficulties accessing basic resources and services due to scarcity of products, high prices and distance from urban centers. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the dire situation in most of the municipalities in this state as hospitals have a shortage of beds, medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE).  In Miranda state, International Medical Corps supported two health facilities with MedShare-donated medical supplies and equipment – Dr. Domingo Luciani and Dr. Jesús Reggeti. Both health facilities serve as the main health centers in their respective municipalities. To support their work among this vulnerable community, International Medical Corps distributed an array of supplies including surgical drapes, catheters, blood collection sets, gloves, IV extension sets and more. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, with support from International Medical Corps, the health facility has provided uninterrupted service – reaching more than 9,500 people in 2020.  “MedShare’s generous donation helped continue this support by allowing our team to provide sodium chloride solution, gauze, gloves, lancets, crutches, specimen containers and more.” – International Medical Corps Sucre State The majority of Sucre State’s public health facilities are functioning at low capacity due to the lack of medical staff, medicines, and medical equipment. The state is neglected in all senses, as it consists of a long peninsula with very remote communities situated all along it. Preventing COVID-19 transmission in this state is challenging as many people do not follow bio-security measures or even believe in the virus’s existence, despite the health authorities’ efforts to sensitize the population. In January 2021, International Medical Corps’ Venezuela team distributed donated MedShare items to Fundasalud, Sucre State’s Health Secretariat. By providing Fundasalud with items such as drapes, feeding kits, masks, gloves, IV extension sets, X-ray sponges and more, they can help fill gaps as they arise. Zulia State Zulia State is the fifth largest and the …

By Aixa Pascual COVID-19 has put the economy on a roller coaster ride. In the early days of the pandemic, unemployment rolls soared as businesses shed jobs. In April 2020, a record 20.5 million Americans lost their jobs, with unemployment reaching a mind-blowing 14.8%. The economy has recovered over the past year, but labor markets are still in flux. Even with a record 10 million jobs open nationwide and unemployment at 5.2%,  according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data, there seems to be an imbalance in the supply and demand sides of the labor equation. In the afterglow of Labor Day, and with an estimated 7.5 million workers across the country expected to lose enhanced pandemic unemployment benefits as of Sept. 6, read on for  a look at the current state of the labor market in Georgia and metro Atlanta.   This is sponsored content.

On July 1, 2021 the Supreme Court handed down its decision in a highly anticipated voting rights case, Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, on appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The case arrived at the Court as a result of past litigation filed by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and certain affiliates challenging the validity of two provisions in the State of Arizona’s voting framework under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). While VRA Section 2 cases have previously come before the Court for consideration in matters involving redistricting challenges and vote-dilution claims, Brnovich represents the Court’s attempt at answering the important question of how to answer a Section 2 challenge to state laws governing the time, place and manner of an election. As summarized below, the impact of the Court’s ruling will have a profound effect on how courts interpret VRA Section 2 challenges going forward, and the ability of plaintiffs to challenge facially-neutral state election laws based purely upon allegations of disparate impact on certain groups of voters. The first election regulation under review in the Brnovich case requires that Arizona state residents who live in counties using an electoral precinct system vote in their assigned registration precinct if they choose to vote in person on Election Day. The second state regulation under review in the case makes it a felony for anyone other than an election official, postal worker, or designated caregiver, family, or household member to collect another voter’s early ballot prior to or after completion. In the underlying litigation associated with the case, the DNC and its affiliates challenged both regulations as in violation of VRA Section 2 under the theory that they caused a purported “adverse and disparate effect” on Arizona’s American Indian, Hispanic, and African-American voters. The District Court in the case rejected these claims, as did a divided panel of the Ninth Circuit. Those findings were reversed, however, in an en banc decision by the Ninth Circuit, which was subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court. Following review and oral argument earlier this spring, a 6-3 majority of the Supreme Court reversed the en banc decision of the Ninth Circuit and upheld the legality of both Arizona regulations. In its decision, the Court held that neither regulation violated the VRA’s requirement that the voting process be “equally open” to all voters based upon a review of the challenged regulations under the totality of circumstances required by Section 2. Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, noted that Brnovich was a case of first impression as it relates to the Court analysis of state laws governing the time, place, and manner of voting under VRA Section 2. While the Court refused to announce a formal rubric for analyzing Section 2 challenges to time, place, and manner voting rules going forward, the majority did compile a list of guideposts by which to conduct the mandated totality of circumstances analysis. Factors identified by the Court for this analysis included: the size of the burden imposed by a challenged voting rule; the degree to which a voting rule departs from what was standard practice when Section 2 was last amended by Congress in 1982; the size of any disparities in a rule’s impact on members of different racial or ethnic groups; the opportunities provided by a state’s entire system of voting; and the strength of a state’s interests served by a challenged voting rule. Since Arizona’s system generally makes it easy to vote (through a combination of early voting, permanent no-excuse mail voting, and vote centers), and because Arizona has a “strong and entirely legitimate state interest in preventing election fraud,” the Court found that the challenged regulations did not burden voters in a manner that kept the state’s voting process from being equally open to all. According to the majority, both requiring Election Day voters to cast their ballots at their assigned precincts, and requiring voters to cast their own paper ballots or use statutorily authorized proxies for such activities, were examples of “the usual burdens of voting.” The Court also rejected the DNC’s argument that Arizona’s second regulation was racially-motivated, finding no evidence that the legislature’s restriction on early ballot collection was “imbued with racial motives”. Writing for the dissent, Justice Elena Kagan argued that the majority interpreted Section 2 of the VRA too narrowly, and created a set of extra-textual factors by which to apply the totality of circumstances analysis mandated by the statute. Rejecting this approach, the dissent noted that following a Supreme Court decision in 1980 requiring a showing of discriminatory purpose to support a Section 2 claim, Congress amended the law in 1982 to “make clear that ‘results’ alone” could establish a violation of the VRA. The majority, however, took issue with this analysis, highlighting Justice Kagan’s focus on adopting a disparate-impact standard for legality under Section 2 and placing a least-restrictive means requirement on the facially-neutral regulation of voting by state legislatures. Given the substantial number of states that have enacted new voting legislation in the wake of the 2020 election and the assortment of legal challenges pending across the country regarding these nascent laws, the legal standards announced in the Brnovich decision will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the implementation and interpretation of state election law in many jurisdictions leading up to the 2022 midterm elections. Much remains to be seen in the wake of this consequential decision, but at the very least the Court’s opinion signals that neutral time, place, and manner rules governing voting will likely withstand Section 2 scrutiny provided that a state’s election processes remain equally open to all voters. The Court’s ruling also likely strengthens the viability of efforts around the country to implement and strengthen state laws restricting third-party ballot collection, sometimes referred to as “ballot harvesting” activities. Looking ahead to the important 2022 election cycle, Dentons Political Law team will continue to monitor key election litigation, legislation and policy developments nationwide and provide updates as appropriate.   This is sponsored content.

After a hiatus, the Westside Future Fund is back to supporting thought leadership in the SaportaReport on Atlanta’s Historic Westside.   As the leader of WFF, I am grounded and inspired by WFF’s vision statement, to “help develop a community Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be proud to call home.”  Much of Dr. King’s life was lived and shaped on the Historic Westside: he attended The Booker T. Washington High School in the historic Ashview Heights neighborhood.  He then attended Morehouse College, practically across the street in the AUC Neighborhood.  In 1965, after he and his wife Coretta returned to Atlanta, they purchased a home in Historic Vine City, 234 Sunset Avenue, NW, that is now owned by the U.S. Park Service as part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park.   In reflecting on WFF vision statement, I imagine Dr. King would be proud if we preserved and renovated iconic buildings that were part of his home community, and the civic and academic institutions that nurtured and supported the community, as well as so many national and international African American leaders. The October 1, 2021 Transform Westside Summit lifted up one such structure and institution: Fountain Hall and Morris Brown College.  Built in 1882, Fountain Hall is one of Atlanta’s most historic structures and in 1972 declared a National Historic Landmark.   Morris Brown College is the only institution of higher learning in Georgia organized for and by African Americans. Dr. R. Candy Tate, Founder & CEO Culture Centers International; Coordinator ATL MLK Main Street, led a panel discussion that included Dr. Kevin E. James, President, Morris Brown College.  You can watch the rich panel discussion and supporting videos by clicking here.  During the panel discussion, we learned the exciting news of a recent grant award from the National Park Service to start the restoration of Fountain Hall, but more funds are needed to complete the renovation.   Dr. James discussed the “hard reset” of Morris Brown College, importantly the award of “accreditation candidacy.”  This means that Morris Brown College can apply to the US Department of Education to participate in financial aid programs and Title IV funding, which it lost in 2002. Dr. James shared Morris Brown College has applied and hopes for positive news very soon!  Over the last few years, Dr. James has already announced some exciting partnerships, including a $30 million investment by CGI Merchant Group to covert some existing facilities into a 150-key upscale hotel and hospitality management training complex and a $500,000 gift from the Chick-fil-A Foundation to train student leaders. Morris Brown College is about a ½ mile from 234 Sunset Avenue.  I imagine if Dr. King were to walk from his home and witness a thriving Morris Brown College and restored Fountain Hall, he would be proud!  We have many miles to go but the leaders on our panel discussion today are determined to complete the journey and would welcome your support! This is sponsored content.   Photo by Kelly Jordan

By Frank Fernandez, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.  At the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta we’re celebrating our 70th Anniversary of serving you, the metro Atlanta region. To do that, we’re inviting you to be our guests on our tab at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in downtown Atlanta. Admission is free for all guests, for four days – Thursday, November 4 – Sunday, November 7.  Why are we doing this? Because the Center lifts up the struggle of people across time and the globe to make the world better, more equitable place for ALL. You can take a walk through the U.S. Civil Rights movement—touch it, feel it, smell it and know it and learn more about the continued fight for human rights across our world. We invite you to explore exhibits that feature leaders who help educate and empower us and for future generations, about what is possible when individuals come together around a shared purpose greater than themselves. The Center inspires us in the work we do, and we hope it inspires you as well.  For 70 years, we’ve worked as your Community Foundation to make Atlanta stronger. And we’re not slowing down – in partnership with donors, other organizations and civic members, we seek to make our region more equitable, more prosperous for all who call Atlanta home. Free tickets to the Center will be available starting October 21. Reservations for timed entry are required due to COVID-19 protocols. Please visit cfgreateratlanta.org/70th to learn more. I hope to see you there, Atlanta.    This is sponsored content.

A team of six Emory computer science students are helping to usher in a new era in artificial intelligence. They’ve developed a chatbot capable of making logical inferences that aims to hold deeper, more nuanced conversations with humans than have previously been possible. They’ve christened their chatbot “Emora,” because it sounds like a feminine version of “Emory” and is similar to a Hebrew word for an eloquent sage. The team is now refining their new approach to conversational AI — a logic-based framework for dialogue management that can be scaled to conduct real-life conversations. Their longer-term goal is to use Emora to assist first-year college students, helping them to navigate a new way of life, deal with day-to-day issues and guide them to proper human contacts and other resources when needed. Eventually, they hope to further refine their chatbot — developed during the era of COVID-19 with the philosophy “Emora cares for you” — to assist people dealing with social isolation and other issues, including anxiety and depression. The Emory team is headed by graduate students Sarah Finch and James Finch, along with faculty advisor Jinho Choi, associate professor in the Department of Computer Sciences. The team also includes graduate student Han He and undergraduates Sophy Huang, Daniil Huryn and Mack Hutsell. All the students are members of Choi’s Natural Language Processing Research Laboratory. “We’re taking advantage of established technology while introducing a new approach in how we combine and execute dialogue management so a computer can make logical inferences while conversing with a human,” Sarah Finch says. “We believe that Emora represents a groundbreaking moment for conversational artificial intelligence,” Choi adds. “The experience that users have with our chatbot will be largely different than chatbots based on traditional, state-machine approaches to AI.” Last year, Choi and Sarah and James Finch headed a team of 14 Emory students that took first place in Amazon’s Alexa Prize Socialbot Grand Challenge, winning $500,000 for their Emora chatbot. The annual Alexa Prize challenges university students to make breakthroughs in the design of chatbots, also known as socialbots — software apps that simplify interactions between humans and computers by allowing them to talk with one another. This year, they developed a completely new version of Emora with the new team of six students. They made the bold decision to start from scratch, instead of building on the state-machine platform they developed in 2020 for Emora. “We realized there was an upper limit to how far we could push the quality of the system we developed last year,” Sarah Finch says. “We wanted to do something much more advanced, with the potential to transform the field of artificial intelligence.” They based the current Emora on three types of frameworks to advance core natural language processing technology, computational symbolic structures and probabilistic reasoning for dialogue management. They worked around the clock, making it into the Alexa Prize finals in June. They did not complete most of the new system, however, until just a few days before they had to submit Emora to the judges for the final round of the competition. That gave the team no time to make finishing touches to the new system, work out the bugs, and flesh out the range of topics that it could deeply engage in with a human. While they did not win this year’s Alexa Prize, the strategy led them to develop a system that holds more potential to open new doors of possibilities for AI. In the run-up to the finals, users of Amazon’s virtual assistant, known as Alexa, volunteered to test out the competing chatbots, which were not identified by their names or universities. A chatbot’s success was gauged by user ratings. “The competition is extremely valuable because it gave us access to a high volume of people talking to our bot from all over the world,” James Finch says. “When we wanted to try something new, we didn’t have to wait long to see whether it worked. We immediately got this deluge of feedback so that we could make any needed adjustments. One of the biggest things we learned is that what people really want to talk about is their personal experiences. ” Sarah and James Finch, who married in 2019, are the ultimate computer power couple. They met at age 13 in a math class in their hometown of Grand Blanc, Michigan. They were dating by high school, bonding over a shared love of computer programming. As undergraduates at Michigan State University, they worked together on a joint passion for programming computers to speak more naturally with humans. “If we can create more flexible and robust dialogue capability in machines,” Sarah Finch explains, “a more natural, conversational interface could replace pointing, clicking and hours of learning a new software interface. Everyone would be on a more equal footing because using technology would become easier.” She hopes to pursue a career in enhancing computer dialogue capabilities with private industry after receiving her PhD.  James Finch is most passionate about the intellectual aspects of solving problems and is leaning towards a career in academia after receiving his PhD. The Alexa Prize deadlines required the couple to work many 60-hour-plus weeks on developing Emora’s framework, but they didn’t consider it a grind. “I’ve enjoyed every day,” James Finch says. “Doing this kind of dialogue research is our dream and we’re living it. We are making something new that will hopefully be useful to the world.” They chose to come to Emory for graduate school because of Choi, an expert in natural language processing, and Eugene Agichtein, professor in the Department of Computer Science and an expert in information retrieval. Emora was designed not just to answer questions, but as a “social companion.” A caring chatbot was an essential requirement for Choi. At the end of every team meeting, he asks one member to say something about how the others have inspired them. “When someone sees a bright side in us, and shares it with others, everyone sees that …

There is a workforce crisis. It is a national issue and also one in Georgia. This issue started before the pandemic and has become more amplified over the past 18 months. It has become increasingly difficult to recruit people to careers in early childhood education. Before and during the pandemic, educators report that the primary issue driving them away from the field is lack of support, resources, and compensation—issues that have only deepened in the context of the pandemic. Early childhood education is a labor-intensive field and providing high-quality early childhood education is not – nor should it be – a cheap endeavor.  There are many reasons for this shortage. Parents deciding to stay home post pandemic, workers not making enough money to maintain a low wage job and still take care of their children. Bottom Line: hard-working families shouldn’t need to spend their whole income on child care, and child care workers deserve a living wage. Congress is currently considering several proposals including the American Families Plan (AFP) which, if passed, would help ensure early childhood educators receive a livable wage. This could secure that families can afford child care and start their child’s education right with high-quality pre-K. The Frazer Center saw very clearly that we had to get ahead of this situation in order to survive and provide the critical services we offer to our community. We are in support of the AFP but could not wait for it to pass. The Frazer Center’s teaching staff was understaffed by 30% and had reduced enrollment in the Children’s Program. Therefore, we committed to making this investment and raising our wages to $15/per hour. This change was implemented on September 6, 2021.  Many employers are responding by increasing their starting wage to $15/hour. When faced with working a difficult and challenging job at Frazer Center for $12/hour, or stocking shelves at Walmart for $15/hour, some are understandably choosing the latter. Businesses like ours rely on entry level workers to fill the gap in early education and services for adults with disabilities. It’s not just Walmart and Target that are raising wages to $15/hour. It is other disability providers and early childhood programs. For those who feel called to this profession as a career, they can now stay in the field and earn $15/hour or more.  We are fortunate that we have been able to increase wages for The Frazer Center Staff. We hope more early education and adult disability service organizations will take the same steps. We provide critical services to the most vulnerable of our community, the youngest and the oldest. Now is the time to build a system that works, and to join with us and our partner, GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students in raising our voices to support our workforce. Take action now in support of significant, sustained federal funding for child care to be passed through the budget reconciliation package.  Paige McKay Kubik CEO The Frazer Center The Frazer Center fosters inclusive communities where children and adults, with and without disabilities, gather, learn, and flourish. We offer a high-quality early education program and our adult program provides individualized programming to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For more information, visit https://www.frazercenter.org and https://geears.org.   This is sponsored content.