The unveiling of Nexus, a next-generation AI supercomputer that will serve as a resource for researchers across the U.S., strengthens Atlanta’s role in the nation’s technology and research ecosystem. Housed in Georgia Tech’s Coda data center, Nexus combines traditional high-performance computing with cloud-based services, allowing researchers to run complex projects that require enormous computing power […]
Category: Thought Leadership
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
Lasting impact doesn’t happen by accident
By Libby Saylor Wright, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta What does it take to change the trajectory of a young person’s life? Sometimes it is a caring adult who shows up at exactly the right moment; a safe place where a young person can focus, ask questions, and discover something […]
Posted inCorporate Community Impact
When It Comes to Impact, Atlanta Companies Are Thinking Beyond Volunteering
By: Doll Thomas, Delta Community Credit Union As we reflect on the achievements highlighted during last month’s 2026 CVC IMPACT Awards, one thing is clear: the companies recognized this year did more than volunteer. They built connections, strengthened communities, and demonstrated the powerful role businesses can play in creating lasting change. This year’s honorees, Cox Enterprises, […]
Posted inAtlanta Housing
Atlanta Housing Opens Applications for New Housing Development and Preservation Financing Bond Program
Atlanta Housing’s new Housing Development and Preservation Financing Bond Program is now accepting applications, officially launching the expansion of the agency’s new financing tools. By leveraging bond financing, the program will help accelerate the development and preservation of affordable and mixed-income housing, expand opportunities to acquire and rehabilitate existing properties, and provide greater flexibility to […]
Posted inSmall Business
Celebrating Leadership, Partnership and Business Excellence: The 2026 Spirit of Alliance Award Winners
Business growth depends on more than a company’s ability to deliver. It also depends on the leaders who open doors, the partners who create opportunities and the suppliers who earn trust through their performance. The Georgia Business Council celebrated those contributions at the 2026 Spirit of Alliance Awards, held as part of Small Business Opportunity […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
The magic is the people: Meet the 12 greenspace champions in Park Pride’s 2026 Park Stewardship Academy
By Hannah E. Jones, Park Pride’s Marketing & Communications Manager “What I’ve gained is nearly immeasurable.” That’s how a 2025 graduate described her experience with Park Pride’s Park Stewardship Academy (PSA). This fall, we welcomed the fourth cohort to PSA — made up of 12 park leaders serving parks in the City of Atlanta, DeKalb […]
Posted inHigher Education
Emory ranked among top national universities by U.S. News
Emory University continues to be listed among the nation’s top universities, coming in at No. 23 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 “Best Colleges” rankings. The rankings also list Emory at No. 19 for undergraduate teaching and No. 19 for “Best Value,” which is based on academic value and cost. This distinction recognizes Emory’s […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion
Why Atlanta Is the Right Place to Ask What Capitalism Owes People in the Age of AI
By John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE Last week in these pages, I wrote about AI literacy as the civil rights issue of this generation. Literacy gets people onto the on-ramp, but the larger question is what kind of economy they find when they arrive, and who that economy was designed […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
Carrying Georgia’s Youngest Children into the Voting Booth With Us
By Trequita Overton, GEEARS Statewide Engagement Manager It’s election season, which means that everywhere life takes us, we’re getting the message, Go Vote! The entreaty doesn’t stop there. We should also, say the bus ads and texts and YouTube commercials, get out the vote by encouraging our family members, friends, colleagues, and preschool teachers to […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion
Atlanta Can Lead the Drum Major Moment on AI
Atlanta knows what it costs to arrive late to opportunity. This is the city where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached about the drum major instinct, the human desire to be out front, and asked us to point that instinct toward service. It is also a city where too many families still watch new economies […]
Posted inPoverty & Equity
Hero for Hope: Chris Womack
For more than 35 years, Chris Womack has served in the U.S. energy sector, becoming a visionary leader – meeting surging energy demands, prioritizing reliability for customers, and championing groundbreaking technologies. Outside of the U.S. energy sector, Chris maintains that unwavering advocacy and leadership for community initiatives driving progress in Atlanta. U.S. Advocate, Atlanta Hero […]
Posted inSustainable Communities
Stone Hogan: Building More Than Housing
By Audrea N. Rease, Executive Director, Star-C Programs What does it take to transform a long-vacant site in Southwest Atlanta into 448 high-quality affordable homes? For The Flats & The Villas at Stone Hogan, it took collaboration, commitment, partnership and perseverance. The communities were made possible through the leadership and partnership of Mayor Andre Dickens, […]
Posted inHigher Education
For students and HBO’s ‘The Gilded Age,’ Emory historian makes past feel present
When we consider historical scholarship at its highest levels, we may imagine hours spent in research libraries and classrooms, uncovering new details and teaching the next generation. Emory professor Erica Dunbar has added another setting: Sunday night television, where viewers across the globe tune in to the historical drama “The Gilded Age” on HBO. Dunbar […]
Posted inSmall Business
From Readiness to Results: How One Georgia Business Leader Turned Preparation Into a $2.4 Million Opportunity
Small Business Opportunity Week celebrates small businesses, creates connections and expands opportunities for growth. This week, Amber Batchelor’s story offers an example of that work in action: a Georgia business leader using the connections and practical preparation gained through a business development program to pursue a significant contracting opportunity. For small businesses pursuing corporate and […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
Health Equity Is Women’s Equity: Why Access Still Depends on ZIP Code
By Thomasine Leachman, health and wellness manager, YWCA Greater Atlanta In Atlanta, a short drive can mean a dramatic difference in how long a person can expect to live. The Atlanta Regional Commission has documented wide differences in life expectancy across metro Atlanta. In communities separated by only a few miles, life expectancy differs by […]
Posted inGlobal Health & Development
A Lesson in Vigilance: Safeguarding the Continued Effectiveness of Antibiotics
By Jay Moye for the CDC Foundation On the night of November 30, 1940, German bombs tore through a police station in Southampton, England, killing a sergeant and injuring two constables. One of them, a reserve officer named Albert Alexander, survived the blast, but a scratch near his mouth became infected, then spread to his […]
Posted inCommitment to Community
Strengthening Metro Atlanta’s Future: Why modern workplace benefits are a community imperative
As Metro Atlanta continues to solidify its position as a hub for commerce, innovation, and cultural growth, our region’s businesses face both incredible opportunity and evolving responsibility. True corporate leadership in Atlanta has long been defined by a collaborative commitment among business, civic, and community leaders to drive shared prosperity. Today, fulfilling that commitment to […]
Posted inPoverty & Equity
Dragon Con Marks Record-Setting 40th Anniversary
Dragon Con, the internationally known pop culture convention, returned to Atlanta from September 3rd–7th to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Over four decades, Dragon Con has grown into a global community of attendees and fans, expanding far beyond what its co-founders could have imagined. Atlanta residents know the convention’s visual impact well – tourists, costumes, and capes fill […]
Posted inAtlanta Housing
How Atlanta Housing is Moving Families Toward Economic Self-Sufficiency and Generational Wealth
Today, communities across the country are facing one of the most significant housing challenges in decades. In Atlanta, families continue to search for stability in an increasingly unaffordable housing market. Addressing these challenges requires real action. Homeownership remains one of the most effective tools for building wealth in America. For many families, purchasing a home […]
Posted inHigher Education
Transformative Trajectory
A new nine-story research and teaching tower. A new baseball stadium. Ongoing work to turn the campus into a “College Town Downtown.” Georgia State University is starting the fall 2026 semester at full speed, completing and continuing progress on projects that elevate the university in both style and substance. From its recently opened Research Tower […]
