The annual gala of the Islamic Speakers Bureau (ISB) was particularly poignant this year. Founder Soumaya Khalifa began by expressing what a difficult period she and ISB have been going through since the Oct. 7.
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 inLatest News
2023 National Philanthropy Day luncheon: ‘We are about building community’
Philanthropic giving is celebrated every year at the National Philanthropy Day luncheon. The 2023 event took place Nov. 2 at the Georgia Aquarium.
Posted inColumns
A new record: Women now top 25 percent of directors on Georgia’s public companies
For the first time ever, women now make up a quarter of all directors on the boards of Georgia’s public companies, according to OnBoard, an organization that’s been keeping count for decades.
Posted inLatest News
Chris Womack becomes new chair of Partnership for Inclusive Innovation
The Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, a unique initiative that supports innovation throughout Georgia, has just appointed Chris Womack, president and CEO of the Southern Co., as its new board chair.
Posted inMaria's Metro
Time and time again, Atlantans have spoken: Build BeltLine rail
It’s so frustrating to keep revisiting the issue of whether to build rail on the BeltLine after years of repeated voter and citizen support for the concept.
Posted inLatest News
Delta CEO Ed Bastian receives prestigious Four Pillar Award
Upon receiving the Four Pillar Award from the Council for Quality Growth, Oct. 12, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian declared his everlasting love for Atlanta.
Posted inColumns
2023 TEDWomen conference puts Atlanta in the global spotlight
A common refrain emerged after the three-day convening of TEDWomen in Atlanta from Oct. 11 to 13 when 1,200 people came for the first ever gathering of the group in the city.
Posted inSections
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens sole nominee for ARC board chair
It is all but certain the Atlanta Regional Commission’s next board chair will be Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens – a first for an Atlanta mayor in the history of the regional planning agency.
Posted inColumns
MARTA’s CFO Raj Srinath leaves at a crucial time for transit agency
The departure of MARTA’s chief financial officer, Raj Srinath, is being viewed as Atlanta’s loss and Jacksonville’s gain.
Posted inLatest News
Open Hand is moving to greener pastures thanks to record capital campaign
Open Hand – a 35-year-old nonprofit that delivers nutritional meals to people in need – is having a year for the record books.
Posted inColumns
Three Atlanta foundations reaping rewards of sharing office space
Three foundations – Tull, Dobbs and Lanier Foundations – moved in together in August..
Posted inLatest News
As Susan Shows announces retirement, Georgia Research Alliance names Tim Denning as next CEO
A transition of leadership is underway at the Georgia Research Alliance, a pivotal public-private partnership that has catapulted the state into a top place for scientific research and innovation. Susan Shows, president and CEO since September 2020, has been with GRA for 22 years. She made it official Wednesday, announcing that she’ll retire as CEO […]
Posted inLatest News
Delta’s Ed Bastian reflects on his tenure as CEO in Atlanta Rotary visit
Few CEOs have ever experienced what Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian went through beginning in March 2020 when the world came to a halt because of the Covid pandemic when Delta’s business went from the best of times to the worst of times in one month.
Posted inColumns
Prince Hall Masonic Lodge to be restored thanks to Blank Foundation gift of $1.5 million
Nearly all of the money needed to restore one of the most significant historic buildings in Atlanta – the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge on Auburn Avenue – has been raised.
Posted inLatest News
Blank Foundation makes record $22.4 million in grants to Atlanta’s Westside
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation announced Sept. 21 that it is deepening its investment in Atlanta’s Westside.
Posted inColumns
Music Midtown ‘adds to Atlanta being a real city’
I’ve witnessed the evolution, the hiatus and the rebirth of Music Midtown – one of the largest festivals that takes place in the city. As best I can count, that’s 23 years of Music Midtown.
Posted inLatest News
AJC plans to move to Midtown in 2024
After for than a decade being headquartered outside the city limits, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution will move its offices to Midtown, according to Andrew Morse, AJC’s president and publisher.
Posted inLatest News
MSM’s new Satcher Institute to tackle global health inequities
The Atlanta-based Morehouse School of Medicine made yet another leap in the world of global health Sept. 14 when it announced it was establishing the David Satcher Global Health Institute.
Posted inLatest News
Eugene Jones leaving as Atlanta Housing Authority’s CEO
Eugene Jones Jr., CEO of the Atlanta Housing Authority since October 2019, has submitted his resignation to Mayor Andre Dickens and his board chair, Larry Stewart. Jones convened members of the AHA team Tuesday morning to let them know he was leaving, according to people who were present. His last day will be Dec. 31. […]
Posted inColumns
Atlanta’s role as a hub for global health is too important ‘to let it die’
For decades, visionary leaders have showcased how Atlanta is a center for global health. The vision still holds true – despite a setback with the dismantling of the Center for Global Health Innovation (CGHI).
