Growing up less than 5 miles from Georgia Tech’s campus, Raheem Beyah didn’t know how the Institute would shape his career, nor did he imagine that he would one day — as provost — shape Georgia Tech’s role as a leader in the Atlanta community and around the world. An Atlanta Public School (APS) system graduate, Beyah credits his teachers and the principals at Frederick Douglass High School for placing him on the path that […]
Category: Thought Leadership
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Parks, Resilience, and the Power of Coming Together — All at Park Pride’s Parks & Greenspace Conference
By Hannah E. Jones, Park Pride’s Marketing & Communications Manager Picture this: Over 500 park experts, leaders, and advocates coming together for a day of learning, sharing best practices, and making connections to strengthen our parks and the neighborhoods they serve — all with the backdrop of a sea of vibrant tulips in full bloom. […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
A Day in One Advocate’s Life at GEEARS’ Strolling Thunder
To prepare for one of our biggest events of the year—Strolling Thunder at the Georgia State Capitol—we at GEEARS put a lot of energy into defining what this day is all about. But Strolling Thunder is also a very stimulating adventure for young children and their parents. As GEEARS’ Executive Director, Mindy Binderman, recently noted, […]
Posted inSmall Business
Advancing Economic Inclusion Through Measurement and Market Participation
As Georgia’s business community observes Black History Month, reflection turns to progress, legacy, and leadership. For business and civic leaders, reflection should also include measurable outcomes in economic participation and opportunity. That requires clarity about the difference between internal workforce access and opportunity practices and marketplace strategies such as supplier development and small business inclusion […]
Posted inHigher Education
$10 million Lilly Endowment Grant to transform lay ministerial education
Emory University has received a grant of $10 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help transform the education of lay ministers. Based at Emory’s Candler School of Theology, the grant will further develop the school’s La Mesa Academy for Theological Studies and build a strong, sustainable network of institutions dedicated to the theological education of lay ministers. […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
A Century Later, Georgia’s Birds Still Need Us
By Adam Betuel, Executive Director, Birds Georgia On a warm July evening in 1926, more than 400 Purple Martins roosted in shade trees along Capitol Avenue – making a pit stop in Atlanta during their annual fall migration. But the birds’ presence wasn’t welcome by all. Neighbors complained of noise and unsanitary conditions. Police officers […]
Posted inPoverty & Equity
What Corporate Leadership Looks Like When It’s Done Right
Strong communities do not happen by accident. They are built through shared responsibility, practical problem-solving, and leaders who step forward when challenges grow more complex. In Atlanta, one of the clearest examples of this kind of leadership can be found in the partnership between QuikTrip and Hope Atlanta. Recognizing that community stability, safety, and well-being […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
Child Care Is Infrastructure: Why Atlanta’s Economic Future Depends on Early Learning
By Danita V. Knight, President & CEO, YWCA Greater Atlanta When we talk about infrastructure in Atlanta, we usually think about roads, transit, and utilities — the systems that keep our economy moving. Rarely do we talk about childcare. But the reality is this: childcare is foundational economic infrastructure — and without it, Atlanta’s workforce, […]
Posted inHigher Education
Art and Tech Take Flight at Atlanta’s Airport
Georgia Tech has launched a bold exhibition at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: Transport | Transform |Transcend: Innovations in Materials and Movements. On view in Terminal T North through November 2026, the exhibition showcases the groundbreaking work of researchers merging science, technology, and design to reimagine traditional notions of movement, materiality, and meaning. Curated by Birney Robert, curator and strategist […]
Posted inHigher Education
Emory earns national recognition for community engagement and partnerships
Emory University has received the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification from the American Council on Education and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Emory is one of 237 U.S. colleges and universities so honored this year, according to the foundation. Emory also received Community Engagement Classification in 2015 and in 2006, when it was among the […]
Posted inSmall Business
Honoring Dr. King’s Legacy Through Economic Empowerment
By Stacey Key, CEO & President, Georgia Business Council As we commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we are reminded that his vision extended far beyond civil rights. It encompassed economic justice, equity, and opportunity for all. Honoring that vision means continuing the work of removing barriers that prevent full […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion
Dream Forward: Honoring Dr. King by Advancing the American Dream
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream was never only moral. It was also deeply economic. Dr. King understood that dignity requires access: access to education, to capital, to opportunity, and to the tools needed to build a secure future. Freedom without economic footing is fragile. Justice without inclusion is incomplete. Last week, that spirit came […]
Posted inGlobal Health & Development
Turning Lessons into Action In Rwanda
When Rwanda’s Ministry of Health confirmed the country’s first-ever outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in September 2024, alarm spread quickly, both within the country and across the globe. Clinically similar to Ebola, MVD has, in past outbreaks, claimed the lives of up to 88 percent of those infected. Though the virus was first identified […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion
John Hope Bryant Anchors King Day Week with National Leadership Dialogues and Keynote Appearances
As communities across the nation prepare to honor the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, will lead a series of high-impact engagements this week, convening leaders across generations, institutions, and sectors around the unfinished work of economic dignity and democratic participation. […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
GEEARS Brings a Packed, Holistic Policy Agenda to this Legislative Session
Georgia’s 2026 Legislative Session begins today. It’s a 40-day marathon for advocacy organizations like GEEARS—a chance to double down on our “asks” as bills that impact Georgia’s youngest children make their way through committees, debates, Crossover Day, and hopefully, to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. We’ll approach this session, as we do […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Designing for resilience is no longer optional, and parks play a crucial role
By Teri Nye, Park Pride’s Director of Park Visioning For Gena Wirth, designing for resilience isn’t a nice-to-have or a cherry on top — it’s a necessity. Gena is Design Principal & Partner at SCAPE Studio, a landscape architecture and urban design studio based in New York that focuses on new ways to knit nature […]
Posted inHigher Education
A Life in Folk: John Burrison marks six decades on the Georgia State faculty
They might have begun to doubt the musician would make it home that night. John Burrison and his young student had been told by a neighbor the man and his wife were attending a funeral in town and were expected back. But as the pair of city folk waited on the porch of a farmhouse […]
Posted inHigher Education
Emory’s Rose Library partners with Atlanta airport for EarWax Records hip hop exhibit
For the first time, items from Emory’s Rose Library will be on exhibit at the world’s busiest airport, where millions of travelers coming through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport can take a break and explore materials about the history of hip hop in Atlanta and its torchbearer, EarWax Records. “Beyond the 50: Continuing Hip Hop’s Legacy” celebrates 50 […]
Posted inPoverty & Equity
Atlanta Is Facing a Homelessness Crisis – Hope Atlanta Has a Solution
By Kellie Glenn, Chief Development Officer, Hope Atlanta People often ask how I found my way into nonprofit fundraising, and for me, the answer begins long before I ever entered this field. I am a social worker first. Early in my career, I worked with children who had experienced abuse and neglect. I loved those […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
Proud to be an Alliance: Our Year at GEEARS
As we look back on 2025, we celebrate the wins that help advance our mission to ensure that Georgia’s youngest children thrive. At the same time, we acknowledge the challenges that show us there is still much work to be done. We spent this year convening, rallying, and working hand-in-hand with partners in the GEEARS-led […]
