Toni winner Anika Noni Rose joins SCAD BAM! Showcase
On Thurs., Feb. 27, the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Atlanta campus will have its annual Black History Month performance BAM! (Black Artists in Music) concert at the SCAD Show Theater.
Toni award-winning actress Anika Noni Rose and Broadway actor Avery Wilson will be the special guest performing with student group SCAD Bee Sharps and alums, honoring the influential voices of Black musical artists and their monumental contributions to the world of film.
Rose won “Best Featured Actress” for her role in “Caroline, or Change” and is best known for playing the voice of Princess Tiana in “Disney’s The Princess and the Frog.”
Wilson performed in “The Wiz” and “The Voice” and was recently nominated for a Grammy award.
Click here to learn more.
— Allison Joyner
Cigna selects Chamblee gold-level Healthy Workforce Designation
Cigna Healthcare announced that they have selected the city of Chamblee as the recipient of its 2024 gold-level Healthy Workforce Designation for demonstrating a strong commitment to improving the health and vitality of its employees through a workplace well-being program.
This is the second year in a row that the city has received this honor.
“We believe when our employees thrive, the entire community benefits,” said Jennifer Burke, Human Resources Director for Chamblee. “Through comprehensive health and wellness initiatives, we strive to strengthen employee engagement and productivity while contributing to the overall success of the city. By prioritizing multiple dimensions of wellbeing, we remain dedicated to fostering a healthier, more connected workforce and community.”
Research conducted in the Evernorth Vitality Index reveals that those with higher vitality experience better mental and physical health and higher job satisfaction and performance levels.
— Allison Joyner
Decatur High student wins Posse scholarship
The City Schools of Decatur announced that Decatur High School (DHS) 12th grader Rachana Huy has won The Pose Scholarship is awarded to high school students who attend partner colleges and universities nationwide.
The Posse Foundation selects the winners from a pool of students from diverse backgrounds who have the potential to be leaders and provides them with a comprehensive support system throughout their undergraduate education.
Huy is a DHS volleyball player and volunteers with Meals On Wheels.
She plans to attend George Washington University in the fall, majoring in international business and archaeology.
— Allison Joyner
Midtown High bound for regional, national championships for debate, academic bowl, mock trial teams
Members of the Midtown High School debate team, academic bowl squad and mock trial team are advancing to regional and national competitions in their preferred fields after an impressive season.
The debate team won the state competition earlier this month for the 16th season in a row and is training for the national tournament in June.
The mock trial team won the regional championship and advanced to the district tournament later this month.
The varsity academic bowl squad has qualified for the national tournament for the sixth season in a row, with the junior team placing third in a recent competition.
— Allison Joyner
Morehouse School of Medicine, Phoebe Putney Health Systems sign agreement to improve community health in Southwest Georgia
On Monday, leaders from Phoebe Putney Health Systems (PPHS) and Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining a collaboration to improve multiple education, research, and community benefit initiatives in Southwest Georgia.
The agreement aims to establish a regional MSM campus and new residency programs in multiple specialties at Phoeby hospitals and clinics and provide clinical training for MSM students.
“MSM is committed to increasing and diversifying the healthcare workforce, especially in historically underserved rual and urban communities throughout Georgia, the nation and the world,” said Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, President and CEO of MSM.
The organizations will develop plans to enhance student and workforce pathways as well as recruitment and retention strategies to incentivize students, residents and healthcare workers to practice medicine in the region once their training is completed.
— Allison Joyner
Brasserie Margot celebrates International Women’s Day
Brasserie Margot at Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta invites whiskey enthusiasts and culinary connoisseurs to an exclusive International Women’s Day celebration with “Margot Meets Michter’s” – A Journey of American Whiskey, Women and Craft. Set for Saturday, March 8, at 6:30 p.m., this special evening will feature a four-course menu curated by Chefs Jon Novak and Eric Snow, expertly paired with Michter’s whiskey and handcrafted cocktails.
Hosted by Andrea Wilson, Michter’s Master of Maturation, the evening will offer an immersive exploration of whiskey-making, guided tastings, and engaging storytelling about the role of women in the industry. As the first woman to Chair the Kentucky Distillers’ Association and a Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame inductee, Wilson will share insights into the meticulous aging and maturation process that defines Michter’s as guests raise a glass to women in whiskey — past, present, and future.
Click here for tickets.
— Derek Prall
Scholarships offered to teachers for three-state canoe and kayak trip in Tennessee River Basin
The Athens-based river advocacy organization Georgia Rivers is putting a new twist on the time-honored back-to-school “what I did on my summer vacation” essay tradition.
Georgia Rivers is giving educators in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama the chance to write their own summer vacation story by participating in Paddle Georgia 2025, a 7-day, 82-mile journey through the Tennessee River basin via the Paddle Georgia Educators Scholarship program. Along the way these educators will receive training in environmental education curriculum and Georgia Adopt-A-Stream water monitoring.
“The goal is to give teachers a hands-on wilderness journey and environmental education experiences that they can share with their students when they return to the classroom later in the year,” said Paddle Georgia Coordinator, Joe Cook. “Past participants have incorporated what they’ve learned into lesson plans and even established Adopt-A-Stream programs at local schools.”
GRN is providing up to eight scholarships valued at $460 for Georgia educators to participate in what is considered the country’s largest week-long canoe/kayak camping adventure.
The journey begins June 16 on South Chickamauga Creek in Ringgold, Ga,, courses through Chattanooga on the Tennessee River and concludes along the big river in Stevenson, Ala., June 22.
Click here to learn more.
— Derek Prall
South Fulton Arts Announces 2025 FILMER Series with Screenings at Plaza Theatre and Academy Theatre
In its seventh year, South Fulton Arts (SFA) presents Filmer 7, which will captivate audiences this season with a cinematic celebration of artistry and storytelling at Plaza Theatre Feb. 26 and Academy Theatre March 6.
Featuring five short documentary films Executive Produced and commissioned by South Fulton Arts, Filmer 7 shines a spotlight on Atlanta’s vibrant creative community, showcasing local filmmakers and local creatives as their subjects. Though donations are accepted and encouraged, all FILMER screening tickets are free.
“What makes the FILMER series extraordinary is the intentional pairing of artist as filmmaker, with artist as subject to harness the creative power of that working collaboration,” said SFA Executive Director Jennifer Bauer-Lyons. “The end result is more than a documentary, it is a resource for the artists to use to showcase their work.”
This year’s FILMER entries document identity, legacy, discovery, politics of the past, and purpose. South Fulton Arts has provided filmmakers a platform to submit their work to festivals worldwide after the FILMER premiere. Previous FILMER works that have reached national and international festivals include “Joe Barry Carroll” by Ethan Payne; “Becoming Her” and “Stitch” by Timberhouse Films; and more. For tickets and updates, click here.
— Derek Prall
Financial veteran Mike Marino Joins Bank of America Private Bank in Georgia
Bank of America Private Bank announced Mike Marino was appointed Market Executive of Georgia. In this role, Mike will execute the Private Bank’s ultra-high-net-worth market strategy in Georgia and ensure the team’s delivery of best-in-class wealth management services and customized financing solutions to local clients.
Mike joins from J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where he most recently served as the Vice Chairman for the Private Bank’s South Atlantic region. He brings more than 30 years of industry experience working in the South Atlantic, where he has held a variety of positions across private banking and investment banking.
“Mike will be instrumental in growing the Private Bank in this key market,” said Hong Ogle, Southeast/Southwest Division Executive at Bank of America Private Bank. “His extensive experience as a leader in private banking, paired with his deep, local roots, will help us deliver the global resources of Bank of America’s eight lines of business to our clients in Georgia while providing a high-touch, personalized client experience locally.”
— Derek Prall
Alzheimer’s Association GA Chapter names new CEO
The Alzheimer’s Association announced that Clay Jacobs has been tapped to serve as the Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Georgia Chapter, effective February 7th 2025.
Jacobs is taking on the role after most recently serving as the E.D. of the Greater Pennsylvania Chapter and will be based in Atlanta, which is the GA Chapter’s largest office in the state. Jacobs has been with the Association for 16 years in a series of progressively responsible roles, first working on local public health initiatives and fundraising as a regional Education and Outreach Coordinator before becoming the VP of Programs & Public Policy and then serving the past six years as that chapter’s Executive Director. In 2023 he was awarded a PA Impact Award, which recognizes Pennsylvania’s top social impact leaders and in 2024 he was awarded the Healthcare Trailblazers award by City and State magazine.
In addition to his daily duties, Jacobs says one of the things he’s proudest of — and most excited to continue to grow in Georgia — is the sense of community around the Alzheimer’s Association.
— Derek Prall
Steamhouse Lounge Oysterfest returns
The Steamhouse Lounge Oysterfest returns to Midtown Atlanta for its 37th year on Saturday, Feb. 22 and 23. Produced by Rival Entertainment, seafood fanatics are in for a weekend filled with heaping buckets of fresh roasted oysters, chargrilled oysters on the half-shell topped with garlic and parmesan, Steamhouse’s famous lobster bisque, fried oyster po’boys, ice-cold beer, cocktails and more.
Located just two blocks from the Steamhouse Lounge’s beach house on the corner of 11th and West Peachtree, Atlanta’s original Oysterfest will showcase musical talent from across the country in perfect tune with the vibe and soul of Atlanta’s favorite street party. Artists performing over the weekend include Davis & The Love, Dumpstaphunk, Francisco Vidal, The Happy Hour, Kranberries, The Nth Power, Smokey Jones and The 3 Dollar Pistols, and Sucker Punch.
Weekend tickets are on sale now for $25, plus fees. Single-day tickets are available for Sunday at $20, plus fees. Advance tickets, displayed on smartphones, allow for express entry lanes and are available here.
— Derek Prall
Georgia Film Academy High School Summer Camps offer immersive hands-on experience for budding filmmakers
The Georgia Film Academy (GFA) has announced its 2025 summer camps, offering high school students ages 14 to 17 the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of filmmaking. This year, GFA is introducing intensive three-day weekend camps focusing on production and post-production, along with a five-day screenwriting camp, all designed to provide campers with hands-on experience in film and television production. The camps include:
- Screenwriting Camp: June 2 to 6
- Production Summer Camp:
- Trilith: June 6 to 8, June 20 to 22, July 25 to 27
- OFS: June 13 to 15, July 11 to 13, July 18 to 20
- Post-Production Summer Camp: June 20 to 22, July 25 to 27
The GFA camps will be held at the GFA Campus @ Trilith, a state-of-the-art facility boasting a 16,000-square-foot soundstage, located across from Trilith Studios in Fayetteville. Several sessions of the Production Summer Camp will also take place at OFS, a 160-acre movie studio campus located off I-85 and only 15-20 minutes from downtown Atlanta in Norcross.
Each session is capped at 15 students, ensuring active participation in all aspects of production. Led by industry professionals from the GFA faculty, these camps offer an unparalleled educational experience and are scheduled to ensure interested students can participate in all three phases of filmmaking.
“GFA summer camps open the door for high school students to pursue their passion for the arts while exploring career opportunities within creative industries,” said GFA’s Assistant Vice Chancellor, Scott Votaw. “These smaller, more intensive summer camp sessions are like being part of a small independent production crew, providing hands-on experience and focused training.”
— Derek Prall
