Kathy Waller has emerged as one of Atlanta’s most influential leaders. But it’s easy to overlook her many contributions because she’s too busy shining the light on others. Waller is the fourth executive director of the Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP), a powerful group of 40 of the region’s key business, civic and academic leaders […]
Author Archives: Maria Saporta
Maria Saporta, executive editor, is a longtime Atlanta business, civic and urban affairs journalist with a deep knowledge of our city, our region and state. From 2008 to 2020, she wrote weekly columns and news stories for the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Prior to that, she spent 27 years with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, becoming its business columnist in 1991. Maria received her Master’s degree in urban studies from Georgia State and her Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University. Maria was born in Atlanta to European parents and has two young adult children. She launched SaportaReport in February 2009.
Posted inMaria's Metro
Taking MLK’s messages of love, peace and understanding to heart
It was April 30, 1967. I was 11 years old sitting on the front row of the balcony of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church with my friend Yolanda King on my left. We were listening to her father, Martin Luther King Jr., recite his sermon: “Why I’m Opposed to the War in Vietnam.”Click here to read […]
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YMCA’s Lauren Koontz to be new CEO of Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
After a national search over several months, the Community Foundation has selected Lauren Koontz as its next president and CEO, beginning on Dec. 1. Koontz currently serves as the president and CEO of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, where she has worked since 2012. In 2019, she became the organization’s first woman CEO. The Metro […]
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Developer Egbert Perry: ‘The work of humanity is still very much unfinished’
As Egbert Perry walked up to the stage to accept the Council for Quality Growth’s Four Pillars Award, he was overtaken with the spirit of reggae artist Bob Marley. As the song “One Love” was playing, Perry began dancing across the stage. “Bob Marley’s music was transformational,” Perry said. “Because of that infectious rhythm, the […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens says he’s focused on implementing transit plans
The Atlanta region has had plans to expand transit for decades and decades. Now we have another opportunity to move forward with rail transit with the Atlanta City Council voting unanimously to implement light rail on the 22-mile Beltline corridor. We also have Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, in an exclusive interview with SaportaReport after the […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Health Connect South still connecting after 13 gatherings
One of my favorite annual events is Health Connect South. It brings together a rich array of people all interested in the same goal — improving health outcomes for everyone. The energy inside and outside the meeting rooms is undeniable. Part of the magic of the day is planned – introducing the most influential and […]
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Atlanta’s Kelsea Bond on Beltline light rail: ‘We need to get back on track’
All signs point to a growing consensus for rail along the Atlanta Beltline. The latest development? A proposed resolution by Atlanta City Councilperson Kelsea Bond of support for light rail all along the corridor is being co-sponsored by 10 of her colleagues. Originally, eight councilmembers signed on to the non-binding resolution: Liliana Bakhtiari, Michael Julian […]
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Everyone agrees: more people need to live downtown
Shortly after he bought Underground Atlanta in 2020, Shaneel Lalani acquired a nearby downtown high-rise office building, 34 Peachtree St. It took him years to figure out what to do with the 1960 building – convert 20 of its 30 stories to housing. “I think we came up with the right mix for what downtown […]
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BoardWalk Consulting: recruiting civic leaders to Atlanta and beyond
In October 2012, Crystal Stephens was looking to lead an Atlanta nonprofit. A friend told her to visit with Sam Pettway, the founding director of BoardWalk Consulting, an Atlanta-based search firm specializing in the nonprofit sector. It didn’t take long for Pettway to ask Stephens if she would consider working for BoardWalk. Stephens had spent […]
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Vision to dramatically increase passenger rail in metro Atlanta
Sometimes an idea is so grand it takes one’s breath away. That’s the Grand Plan — creating a rail bypass around metro Atlanta to free up hundreds of miles of track that could be used for passenger trains. Compare this idea to I-285, which became a conduit for trucks to bypass the central city. We […]
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Economic mobility lessons from 30 years ago — post-96 Olympics
Let’s travel back in time to 1996 when an influential group of business and civic leaders developed a strategy to feed Atlanta’s economic momentum following the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. An initiative to develop a strategy to solidify the city’s economic base was led by Roberto Goizueta, then the CEO of Coca-Cola Co., working with […]
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MARTA’s new CEO will set the tone of the transit agency’s future
Three finalists for the top MARTA job were announced Aug. 10, including Jonathan Hunt, who has been serving as the interim CEO for more than a year. The other two finalists are Cleveland Ferguson III of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority and Leroy Jones of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Whoever is named CEO on […]
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MARTA board announces three finalists for CEO position
After interviewing the three finalists for MARTA’s top job, the agency’s board announced the contenders: The move represents a major step forward in the search to name a new CEO, a process that has been underway (with a couple of starts and stops) for about a year. The three finalists were interviewed in a closed […]
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Atlanta’s tree canopy hits new low
The City of Atlanta set a goal in 2023 to have a tree canopy of 50 percent. At the time, the Atlanta City Council said the city’s tree canopy “is a well-recognized integral part of the City’s identity, as the city is frequently described as the ‘City in the Forest.’” It went on to cite a 2018 […]
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The late Ted Turner to receive Lifetime Achievement Award on Nov. 5
The 40th anniversary of National Philanthropy Day will take place Nov. 5 at the Georgia Aquarium to celebrate individuals and organizations for their generosity, leadership and volunteerism. The Greater of Atlanta Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals is hosting the luncheon with Delta Air Lines as its presenting sponsor. The luncheon will present a […]
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Atlanta Community Foundation names Virginia Hepner interim head
As it searches for a new permanent president and CEO, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has tapped veteran leader Virginia Hepner to serve as its interim executive. Hepner was introduced as the interim at a meeting of Community Foundation staff members on Tuesday morning. “We are thrilled to have Virginia in as interim,” said […]
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Developer Jim Irwin is creating a city within a city
One could call Jim Irwin an accidental developer. Today, at the young age of 47, Irwin is one of the most respected developers in Atlanta because of his commitment to creating spaces and places where people want to visit, live and work. A motto for Irwin: “Let’s build a city I’d want to live in.” […]
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Atlanta Dogwood Festival to return in 2027
After years of teetering on the edge of survival, the leaders of the Atlanta Dogwood Festival announced the event will return April 9 to April 11 in Piedmont Park. The dates were announced on the festival’s website Thursday morning. “We think it’s a great tradition,” said David Shutley, the festival’s board chair. “The response we got from […]
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A personal reflection: My parents to me: ‘We are citizens of the world’
As the city was celebrating the FIFA World Cup finale at the Showcase Atlanta celebration at Piedmont Park on July 19, Mayor Andre Dickens paid tribute to when Atlanta held the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games exactly 30 years earlier — to the day and almost the actual minute. “Today’s a special […]
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Frank Fernandez will be next CEO of the Reinvestment Fund
After announcing his upcoming departure from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Frank Fernandez will be heading to Philadelphia to become president and CEO of the Reinvestment Fund. “I am deeply honored to join Reinvestment Fund as its next president and CEO,” Fernandez said in a release on Monday. “I look forward to leading and […]
