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.
If he has his way, David Thomas will be president of Morehouse College for at least a decade.
Just two weeks ago, Thomas became the 12th president of Morehouse, a college steeped in 150 years of world-changing history.
The significance of the position was not lost on Thomas, who had a session with members of the press on Jan. 12.
Although he didn’t attend the Salute to Greatness dinner on Jan. 13, President Donald Trump was certainly on the menu.
The Salute is the major fundraising event for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (better known as the King Center), and it is held every year at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.
At Friday morning’s Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable (SART), State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome) strongly criticized the financial plan to pay for the two new nuclear power plants at Plant Vogtle.
Hufstetler, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, openily criticized Senate Bill 31 that passed in 2009 that approved the financial plan for Plant Vogtle. It was called the Georgia Nuclear Energy Financing Act, which permitted the utility to begin recovering the costs of financing the construction of the new nuclear plants from consumers before they came on line.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Thursday announced a 38-member transition team that includes the CEOs of Delta Air Lines and UPS as well as Killer Mike and rapper T.I.
“The 38-strong transition team represents a tremendous amount of diversity and depth,” said Bottoms, who was flanked by her two transition co-chairs – Vicki Palmer, a retired executive from CCE; and Larry Gellerstedt III, CEO of Cousins Properties.
Bernice King, CEO of the King Center, on Tuesday evening kicked off the series of events honoring her late father – Martin Luther King Jr. – during his birthday week.
It is a most important week taking place during a most important year – the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination, which will be on April 4.
Agnes Scott College has selected its next president – Leocadia “Lee” I. Zak – who recently served as director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency under President Barack Obama.
Zak will be the ninth president of Agnes Scott, succeeding current President Elizabeth Kiss, who is stepping down at the end of June. Zak will begin her duties on July 1.
Zak’s appointment comes after an eight-month search with the board of trustees looking for a bold and inspiring leader with a commitment to institutional excellence.
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Dec. 1, 2017
Thanks to a new $50 million gift from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, Grady Health System is within $10 million of reaching its $165 million goal to fund two capital projects that will enable the hospital to become more financially sustainable.
The $50 million is in addition to the $200 million the Woodruff Foundation gave 10 years ago when the public safety net hospital was in dire financial straits. That $200 million was the catalyst in a $325 million private fundraising effort that saved the hospital from going under.
It is an end of an era.
This past week marked the end of home delivery of milk products in metro Atlanta.
Preston Born and his partner, Rick Lee, operated the last milk home delivery service in the Atlanta region – serving about 240 customers who had held on to the tradition of yesteryear.
As one of those 240 customers, Born broke the news in a note that was included with my last delivery of milk (and eggs) on Jan. 3.
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Nov. 24, 2017
The Ben Franklin Academy, an independent, small college-prep high school near Emory University, has raised nearly $2 million to complete an expansion of its campus.
“We finished everything without any debt,” said Dr. Martha Burdette, Ben Franklin Academy’s head of school. “Our goal was $1.75 million, and we raised almost $2 million.
By Maria Saporta Family and friends bid farewell Friday to Atlanta’s most iconic architect and developer – John C. Portman Jr. The venue was the atrium of AmericasMart 3, one of Portman’s many creations. The setting displayed Portman’s unique design style – the glass elevators, the hollowed out interior of the building, the magical play […]
Updated with memorial service information.
Legendary Atlanta architect and developer John Portman passed away late Friday evening – capping a remarkable life that left its imprint all over the world – including Asia, Europe and the United States.
Despite his global reach, Portman was rooted in Atlanta. His headquarters were located in the 14-block Peachtree Center area of downtown Atlanta that he designed and developed over the span of his illustrious career.
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Nov. 24, 2017
A move by the Boy Scouts of America to start admitting girls has triggered a national backlash by the Girl Scouts of America.
And the national battle between the two national organizations may possibly strain what has been a strong collaborative relationship between the Atlanta Area Council of the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Council.
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Nov. 24, 2017
Morehouse School of Medicine is planning a more than $50 million expansion adjacent to its southwest Atlanta campus.
The school’s new “living, learning and health care campus” will include its first-ever student housing, an ambulatory health-care center and a retail component.
Real estate developer Carter USA won the bidding process to develop the first phase of the project, which MSM is calling the Lee Street Campus. BDR/Mandl and Co. was the owner’s representative for the school’s request for proposals.
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on November 17, 2017
The Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School is quickly becoming a national model among the 32 Cristo Rey schools in the United States.
“We are the only Cristo Rey school in the country that has every student in a paying job,” said Bill Garrett, president of Atlanta’s Cristo Rey. “We have 137 corporate work student partners.”
Cristo Rey Atlanta, a Catholic learning community that educates young people of limited economic means and of any faith, will graduate its first senior class in 2018. It now has 535 students, and every student carries a full load of classes and works five full days a month in a corporate work setting.
For 40 years, Southface has been leading the way in making Atlanta a more sustainable city.
The environmentally-focused nonprofit has been a pioneer in green building practices – and it deserves much of the credit for Atlanta’s national reputation as a city committed to energy and water conservation.
But now Southface is facing its own challenges – likely having to move from its headquarters, now on a .74-acre site along Pine Street near Piedmont, where it has been since 1995.
Dear Mayor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms,
Congratulations on being elected Atlanta’s 60th mayor!
I begin this letter with an outstretched hand to let you know I want you to be a successful mayor.
My hope is you will appreciate the role of the press – to question, to inform, to probe, to be skeptical, and yes, to be critical when necessary.
This hope is not limited to me. Ideally you will embrace people who think differently than you do, that you will treat the press and fellow public servants with respect, and that you will seek mutually-beneficial solutions while governing our city.
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on November 10, 2017
When Larry Gellerstedt, CEO of Cousins Properties Inc., received the American Jewish Committee’s National Human Relations Award on Oct. 30 at the Loew’s Atlanta Hotel, he sounded an alarm over the prejudice and hate in our society today.
Gellerstedt explained he is a lover of history – especially European history between World War I and World War II.
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on November 3, 2017
Three prominent Georgians will be honored with the Heroes, Saints & Legends awards by the Foundation of Wesley Woods on April 19 at Flourish.
Civil rights leader the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery will be honored along with his late wife, Evelyn Lowery.
Also, philanthropist Merritt Steed Bond and attorney Edward “Jack” Hardin, a homeless advocate, also will be honored at the annual event that celebrates Georgians who have made significant contributions to the community through their leadership, service and philanthropy.
By Maria Saporta The high-powered Atlanta Committee for Progress witnessed the transition of leadership Friday morning when Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed passed a symbolic baton to his successor – Mayor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms. The quarterly board meeting of ACP had planned for this meeting to be a time when it could meet with Atlanta’s next […]
The board of the Atlanta Regional Commission unanimously re-elected Kerry Armstrong to serve a third two-year term as chairman at its meeting on Wednesday.
Armstrong, a commercial real estate executive, has served on the ARC board since 2008 as a citizen member representing a district that includes portions of Gwinnett County.
Armstrong was first elected chairman in 2013. His third term will begin on Jan. 1.
