By Hannah E. Jones
New urbanism, election integrity, transformational leadership — with the G-2 Institute, these critical topics will be tackled under one roof in Atlanta.
Tarby Bryant, CEO of Sweetwater Capital Corporation and the Gathering of Angels, is bringing Atlanta its first global think tank, debuting on March 31 at the Carter Center. Once launched, G-2 will offer monthly seminars that encourage C-Suite executives and community leaders to engage in intellectual discussions about a range of topics that hold national and international importance. Ultimately, the goal is to foster improved executive education and leadership.
For the inaugural seminar in March, author Rick Smyre and marketing consultant David Punchard will join to discuss “Navigating and decision making in a VUCA World — volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.”
The “secret sauce” as Bryant puts it, is the trained facilitator-led discussions that will follow the presentations. To that end, the G-2 events will employ the Socratic Method, meaning folks are encouraged to have thoughtful discussions and engage in critical thinking rather than the traditional teacher-student dynamic.
“The world is full of lectures; They occur every afternoon [and] every evening in Atlanta,” Bryant said. “What doesn’t occur afterward are serious discussions, debates and dialogue.”
An Atlanta native, Bryant wants to be part of shaping the “New South,” which he defines as the evolution “from a rural agrarian society to a very cosmopolitan city like Atlanta.” Bryant believes a global think tank will help Atlanta and the larger Southeastern community grow with intentionality.
Bryant was active in the city’s civic sphere from the ‘60s to the ‘80s, working in city government with big players like Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young. He later moved out west where he became involved with the Santa Fe Institute and began thinking that Atlanta could use a similar organization. Bryant moved back to Atlanta in 2022 and, after a decade of deliberation, he’s set to launch his global think tank.
The name “G-2” is an homage to the branch of the military where Bryant served as an intelligence officer in the Vietnam War. In this role, his job was to gather, condense and disseminate information, which “is really what the mission of G-2 is.”
Bryant envisions G-2 as a space to connect local leaders to tackle top issues — like local education and fostering livable and walkable cities — while also invigorating the corporate sphere to improve our community at large.
“Major corporations have a role in society — they can’t just worry about [profit and loss] statements and quarterly earnings, they also have a societal role,” Bryant said. “I’m a believer in a phrase that [former president of Citizens and Southern National Bank] Mills Lane taught me — ‘civic rent.’”
Bryant continued: “He said, ‘Mr. Bryant, if you want to sit at the table of leadership in Atlanta, you’ve got to pay your city for it.’ I think corporations today have that same [responsibility,] they have to play a role in the betterment of society. I think that’s important.”
The schedule for the year has already been set, with 10 seminars on the horizon. The first year is based in Atlanta, but in the following years, Bryant hopes to expand the programming to other southeastern metropolitan areas like Charlotte and Nashville.
If you’re interested in learning more about the G-2 Institute and its seminar line-up, click here.
