Author Archives: Maria Saporta

By Maria Saporta

With the anticipated departure of Atlanta chief operating officer Duriya Farooqui on Jan 31, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has named a new interim team to run the city until a permanent replacement is found.

Reed, who left  Monday evening for Davos, Switzerland to attend the 2014 World Economic Forum with Coca-Cola Co. CEO Muhtar Kent, announced in press release on Tuesday that he is naming Michael Geisler to serve as interim chief operating officer beginning on Jan. 31.

Geisler currently serves as deputy commissioner and CFO for the City of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management, a position he assumed in November 2012 after a national search conducted by the COO’s office.

By Maria Saporta

Gov. Nathan Deal had long gone from Ebenezer Baptist Church during Monday’s 46th Martin Luther King Jr.’s Annual Commemorative Service when Senior Pastor Raphael Warnock shared his message.

But had he stayed, perhaps the governor might have gained some insights about what really matters to King’s followers.

Deal was one of the earlier speakers during the three-and-a-half hour service, and it is not surprising that he couldn’t stay for the entire program.

The governor did hear a passionate plea from King’s youngest child — Bernice A. King — who is CEO of the King Center.

By Maria Saporta

The King Center’s annual Salute to Greatness dinner Saturday night broke new ground on two fronts.

Bernice A. King, CEO of the King Center, bravely addressed the hundreds attending the elegant fundraiser at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta about the legal dispute underway between her and her two brothers — Dexter King and Martin Luther King III.

Second, the overarching theme of the night centered on the rights and empowerment of women. During the civil rights movement, women tended to play a background role giving the spotlight to men.

But on Saturday night, women took center-stage — and several of the men who did speak at the podium obviously had heard the message.

By Maria Saporta

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is launching his second national search for a new general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport — with a bit of a déja vu, all over again.

The chair of the search committee will be Carol Tomé, chief financial officer of the Home Depot, who chaired the Atlanta airport general manager search less than four years ago.

The city ended up selecting and hiring Louis Miller to that post. Miller retired at the end of 2013. One of the other finalists in the 2010 search — Miguel Southwell — joined the executive team of Hartsfield-Jackson last year, and he serving as the interim general manager until a permanent leader is chosen. Southwell is expected to be a candidate for that job.

By Maria Saporta

The growing economic and political clout of Georgia’s Latino population was on full display Thursday morning at the legislative breakfast of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

The breakfast was kicked off with welcoming remarks from Gov. Nathan Deal, who restated his financial commitment to education — a relatively safe topic for a governor running for re-election.

Other speakers at the breakfast included Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Georgia House Speaker David Ralston and Cassius Butts, the regional administrator for the Small Business Administration.

By Maria Saporta

Three metro Atlanta communities — the Atlanta University Center, Lakewood Heights and Lithonia — are part of a select group.

Sustainable Atlanta has selected them to participate in the first year of the Greater Atlanta EcoDistrict Initiative — a concept that is relatively new to Atlanta.

By Maria Saporta

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has tapped a new executive to lead its community development efforts in Atlanta.

The national philanthropic entity has named Kweku Forstall, who was the founding director of Year Up Atlanta, as director of its Atlanta Civic Site. It focuses on improving the lives of children and families in five southwest Atlanta communities.

Forstall succeeds Forstall succeeds Gail Hayes, who retired in December after leading the Atlanta site since 2001.

By Maria Saporta

One of the most popular programs of the Atlanta Regional Commission — the Livable Cities Initiative — has awarded $800,000 in grants to 11 communities throughout the metro area.

The grants help town centers plan and implement policies and designs to create more vibrant and connected communities — often through transportation projects that reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality.

Since its inception in 1999, LCI has assisted 113 communities with about $15 million in planning grants that better connect homes, shops and offices. Another $173 million has gone to help recipients build transportation projects to implement their community goals.

By Maria Saporta

The nation’s economy should grow at a slightly faster rate in 2014 than it did in 2013, according to Dennis Lockhart, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Lockhart, who spoke only from his viewpoint and not on behalf of the Federal Reserve, gave his annual economic outlook speech Monday to the Rotary Club of Atlanta.

As he had foreseen last year, the gross domestic product (GDP) grew by estimated 2.5 percent in 2013 — with a particularly strong showing in the third quarter.

For 2014, Lockhart bumped up that number to a range of between 2.5 percent to 3 percent growth in GDP — and he wouldn’t be surprised if it was “at the upper end of that range,” he added.

By Maria Saporta

After conducting a national search, the Alliance Theatre has selected Mike Schleifer as its new general manager. He will begin his new job on March 3.

Schleifer is following Max Leventhal, who served in that role for 10 seasons before becoming the owners’ representative to the Woodruff Arts enter this past September.

Before getting selected as the Alliance Theatre’s general manager, Schleifer has spent 19 years in theatre management in a variety of role. Most recently he has been serving as the production manager and associate producer at CENTERSTAGE in Baltimore, Md., where he has been for five seasons.

By Maria Saporta

Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell’s picks of chairs to key City Council committees actually spoke volumes about the tone of city politics in 2014 and for the next four years.

Mitchell named the two new members of Council — Mary Norwood and Andre Dickens — as chairs of committees — prestigious posts available to only seven of the 14 members on Council. Mitchell is the presiding officer who votes if there is a tie.

The appointments also included several potential candidates who might run for mayor in 2017. Mitchell has made no secret that he is considering a run for the city’s top office in four years.

By Maria Saporta

A reflective Arthur Blank expressed “a big disappointment” in the 4-12 outcome of 2013 season of the Atlanta Falcons, but the team’s owner said he has been spending the last several months focusing his energies on the future.

It didn’t hurt that Blank was devoting part of his time working on the development of a new $1.2 billion retractable-roof football stadium, which is scheduled to open in time for the 2017 season.

“It was a nice distraction in a difficult season,” Blank said of the stadium development. “It was able to take my mind off the season. We have a great stadium design. We will have the ground-breaking this spring.”

By Maria Saporta

Georgia-based MAP International’s longtime president and CEO — Michael Nyenhuis — will become president and CEO of Stamford, Ct.-based AmeriCares, one of the top 20 charitable organizations in the United States.

Nyenhuis, who has been with MAP, a Christian global health organization, for nearly 19 years —14 as its president and CEO, will leave his post at the end of January. MAP is co-headquartered in Atlanta and Brunswick, the site of its major distribution center.

“I love MAP, its work and people and leave it in good shape and in good hands,” Nyenhuis wrote in an email before sending out the news release.