By Hannah E. Jones, Park Pride’s Marketing & Communications Manager Community Powered Parks: That’s how Park Pride has worked for more than 35 years, and now it’s front and center. Last week, we debuted our new website, logo and tagline — giving us a fresh look and a better online hub for everyone who loves […]
Category: Thought Leadership
Posted inCorporate Community Impact
How Belonging Can Inspire Change
By Roy Neill As LGBTQ+ History Month comes to a close, it is an opportunity to reflect not only on the people and moments that shaped history, but on the role each of us can play in moving it forward. History has a funny way of reminding us that change doesn’t always start with the […]
Posted inCommitment to Community
How Atlanta Business Owners Should Prepare for the Great Business Transfer
By Eric Schimpf, President, Merrill Wealth Management Having spent many years living and raising my family in Atlanta while leading Merrill’s Southeast division, I’ve had the opportunity to watch the region’s growth firsthand. During a recent visit with colleagues and clients, I was reminded not only of Atlanta’s continued momentum, but also of the important […]
Posted inSmall Business
Election Season and Business Confidence: Reading the Room in Georgia
Election season brings plenty of conversation about what comes next. For business owners, however, some of the most important questions remain close to home: Are customers ready to spend? Will that anticipated contract move forward? Is this the right time to hire, purchase equipment or expand? During a period of heightened public attention and competing […]
Posted inHistoric Westside
For Broderick Thompson-Smith, Home Means Showing Up
Broderick Thompson-Smith calls his front porch an oasis. He added curtains and a television, and he likes being able to sit outside and talk with the neighbors who look out for one another. “We hold each other down,” he says. That sense of community is part of what makes his home on Atlanta’s historic Westside […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Discovering Georgia Through Outdoor Recreation
By Georgia Conservancy Our belief that conservationists are created in our wild, natural places has been central to our mission since we were founded in 1967. For nearly 60 years, Georgia Conservancy has led educational outdoor adventures, building lifelong advocates for some of our state’s most precious places. There’s no limit to the amazing locations […]
Posted inSustainable Communities
35 Years of Building Opportunity: ANDP Celebrates the People & Partnerships Behind Its Impact
On October 15, nearly 200 community leaders, housing advocates, public officials, philanthropic partners, and friends gathered at The Carter Center to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP). The celebration reflected on ANDP’s history, recognized the partnerships that have sustained its work, and honored four individuals and organizations whose contributions have helped […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
Collaboration Is Atlanta’s Strength. Results for Children Must Be Our Measure.
By Rebecca Parshall, PhD Atlanta has a long history of bringing people and institutions together to tackle big challenges. Our region is home to extraordinary nonprofits, businesses, philanthropists, educators, and civic leaders who care deeply about creating opportunity. But collaboration isn’t the same as progress. The measure of our collective efforts isn’t how many organizations […]
Posted inHigher Education
Georgia State University Sets New Enrollment Record
With more than 54,000 students this fall, Georgia State University has set a new all-time enrollment record. Of the 54,320 students reported on Georgia State’s official census Oct. 7, more than 35,200 are students on the university’s Atlanta Campus, a 1.22 percent increase over the student population on the campus last fall. More than 19,000 […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Completing the Emerald Necklace
By Atlanta Beltline In 2004, the Trust for Public Land’s Beltline Emerald Necklace Study gave Atlanta a picture of what the Beltline could become: a ring of parks around the city, strung together by a continuous trail. Twenty-two years later, that picture is coming into focus on the Westside, where two of those parks are […]
Posted inSmall Business
Georgia Business Council Expands Small Business Access Through New Membership and Procurement Initiatives
For Georgia’s small businesses, growth often depends on making the right connections: finding a resource that strengthens operations, building a relationship that opens a door or reaching a buyer who needs what they offer. The Georgia Business Council (GBC) is introducing two initiatives to help businesses make those connections: GBC Small Business Membership and a […]
Posted inGlobal Health & Development
The Disease Detectives: A 75-Year-Old Network of Fellowship
By Jay Moye for the CDC Foundation In 1951, with the Korean War barely a year old and fears of biological warfare running high in Washington, an epidemiologist named Alexander Langmuir boldly proposed creating a dedicated corps of disease detectives, trained and ready to deploy anywhere a public health threat emerged. The program Langmuir envisioned […]
Posted inPoverty & Equity
Hope Rising: A Night of Impact and Civic Action
Thursday, October 8th, Hope Atlanta hosted its annual Heroes for Hope Gala. This year’s honorees included Volunteer Hero, Rocky Atkins, two Corporate Heroes, The Coca-Cola Foundation accepted by President Carlos Pagoaga, Truist accepted by regional president Katie Saez, and Individual Hero, Chris Womack. The gala’s theme “Hope Rising” was a play on Atlanta Rising – […]
Posted inHigher Education
Supercomputer Expands Atlanta’s Role in the Nation’s Digital Future
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 […]
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 […]
