JA Business Hall of Fame honors two grand women
For the first time in 36 years, two women, Claire “Yum” Arnold and Beverly Daniel Tatum, were inducted into the JA Business Hall of Fame.
Junior Achievement of Georgia has given a spotlight to top business leaders in Atlanta, always having students introduce the guests of honor.
The 2026 JA Business Hall of Fame was held Feb. 21 at Flourish. Arnold, who founded the technology consulting firm Leapfrog, was introduced by Randeep Hora, a senior at Roswell High School.
Arnold spoke about the influence her family has had on her life, disclosing that her father was killed in a plane crash when she was only 15 years old.
Tyler Swain, a junior at South Gwinnett High School, introduced Tatum, president emerita at Spelman College, serving at the HBCU for 13 years.
“Coming to Atlanta was one of the best decisions we ever made,” said Tatum, who added that her parents had been part of the Great Migration of Blacks moving from the South. “In 2002, I led my family to the ‘Great Return.’ My parents moved to Atlanta.”
Tatum shared the life lessons she learned from her parents: “Treat people the way you want to be treated, and always leave a place better than how you found it.”
John Hancock, president and CEO of JA of Georgia, told dinner attendees that the 7th Discovery Center was about to open in Clayton County. With the opening of the JA Delta Discovery Center in Clayton, Hancock said nearly 60 percent of Georgia’s public middle school students will be served by a Discovery Center, which helps prepare students for personal finance and what it takes to run a business.
The Clayton Center will also house the JA Dream Accelerator, a hands-on, interactive experience designed to help middle and high school students identify their strengths and interests while exploring future education and career paths. Georgia will be one of only a few states in the entire country to offer this transformative program.
Tad Hutcheson, senior vice president of the Delta Air Lines Foundation, said the new Discovery Center was a way to invest in the airline’s backyard.
— Maria Saporta
Covenant House launches search for new CEO
A leading nonprofit serving young people experiencing homelessness, Covenant House Georgia, has launched a national search for its next CEO.
The search follows the December departure of Alieizoria Redd, who led the organization for nearly eight years.
Ben Deutsch, board chair of the Covenant House, said he was “taking a pause to recharge, and eventually explore what’s next.”
Deutsch credited Redd for strengthening the nonprofit’s programs, expanding its reach, transforming the campus and guiding the community through some of its toughest moments.
Until a new CEO is identified, Keith D. Bostick will serve as the interim CEO. Bostick has more than 40 years of human services experience at the state and county levels.
The search committee is casting a wide net nationally, and it has engaged DSG Global’s nonprofit practice to help identify the best candidate.
— Maria Saporta
ACVB hears from Brian McGowan of Centennial Yards
Brian McGowan, president of Centennial Yards, said investors have crossed the $1.5 billion mark in transforming the former railroad gulch in the heart of Atlanta into a new community.
That means the investors, CIM Group, are only a fourth of the way in fulfilling their vision for Centennial Yards.
McGowan was the keynote speaker at the Feb. 26 board meeting of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau held at the Gathering Spot.
“It’s changing the way people interact with Downtown,” McGowan said. Construction is well underway for the new Entertainment District, with some elements set to be ready for the 2026 World Cup. Eventually, the district will include a Live Nation music venue that will seat 5,3000 people, new restaurants and entertainment venues.
At full completion, Centennial Yards will total 6 million square feet in the 50 acres, combining retail, residential, hospitality and office.
McGowan said one of the most “complicated pieces of the puzzle” is the CNN deck, a parking structure that was developed by Tom Cousins in 1972.
“As we go more towards Marietta Street, the buildings are going to go up,” McGowan said about the density of the development.
— Maria Saporta
Rock On with Dad’s Garage Band
Music and laughter will come together for “Dad’s Garage Band,” where live music inspires off-the-wall improv performances in real time.
Each show features a different musical guest from vocalists to guitarists; School of Rock Buckhead, a community hub for music education for adults and children, will partner with Dad’s Garage as the house band for the March 7 performance.
“One of our favorite things at Dad’s is collaborating with wonderful, unique partners to create shows you truly can’t see anywhere else,” Artistic Director Jon Carr said. “This partnership is a perfect example — and one you won’t want to miss.”
— Derek Prall
Georgia Rivers launches scholarship paddle trips to expand access to state’s waterways
Georgia Rivers, a statewide river advocacy group based in Athens, is offering more than two dozen canoe and kayak trips, classes, and kayak fishing adventures in 2026, with scholarships aimed at women, minorities, recent immigrants, and low-income families.
Full and partial scholarships, ranging from about $100 for day trips to nearly $500 for multi-day events, are available for day outings, weekend adventures, kayak fishing trips, kayaking classes, and the organization’s signature weeklong Paddle Georgia 2026 journey June 14–20 on the Cartecay, Coosawattee, and Oostanaula rivers.
Executive director Rena Ann Peck said the program is designed to remove cost and equipment barriers and better connect underrepresented communities with Georgia’s rivers and paddlesports.
Most trips are beginner-friendly, including learn-to-kayak days on the Chattahoochee and Etowah, weekend paddles on rivers across the state, and kayak fishing classes on Lake Allatoona, the Chestatee, Chattahoochee, and Flint. Several events highlight Black history along the routes, including Ebenezer Creek’s Civil War–era story and the legacy of all-Black Civilian Conservation Corps camps in the Okefenokee Swamp. Many trips are co-led by nationally certified minority instructors.
Scholarship applications are available online, and the full trip schedule is posted here.
— Derek Prall
Atlanta History Center announces spring exhibitions, festivals and author events
Atlanta History Center has unveiled a full slate of spring programming across its Buckhead campus and partner sites, highlighted by a rare visit from a national traveling archives exhibition, a campus-wide object showcase and the return of Spring Fest.
Beginning March 27, the Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation brings founding-era U.S. documents from the National Archives to Atlanta for a 16-day run with free public admission. On April 25, the new campus-wide exhibition Atlanta in 100 Objects opens, scattering 100 notable artifacts from the archives throughout galleries, gardens and historic homes, paired with a new coffee table book of the same name.
Community offerings include the airport exhibit Blue Skies: 100 Years of the Atlanta Airport at Hartsfield-Jackson, and a Party with the Past event at DeKalb History Center.
Families can look forward to Spring Fest on March 22, toddler storytimes, themed Homeschool Days in March and April, and ongoing summer camps. Public programs feature a Cherokee Garden Library lecture with landscape architect Thomas Woltz and author talks with Norah O’Donnell, A’Lelia Bundles, and historian Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar, whose events explore women’s history and Black history in Atlanta and beyond.
— Derek Prall
Chattahoochee Nature Center hosts spring native plant sale in Roswell
The Chattahoochee Nature Center will kick off its annual “Ready, Set, Grow!” Spring Native Plant Sale in Roswell with early access for members on Thursday, March 26, followed by public sale dates March 27–28 and April 3–4.
The fundraiser will feature more than 100 varieties of native plants, all grown on CNC’s 127-acre campus along the Chattahoochee River. Offerings include options for sunny borders, rock gardens, water-wise landscapes, shade and dry shade areas, as well as herb and vegetable seedlings for gardeners interested in growing their own food.
Horticulture manager Jacqueline McRae said the sale is designed to help Metro Atlanta residents support local ecosystems by choosing plants that naturally belong in Georgia gardens and provide food, shelter, and nesting spaces for wildlife. Native plantings can attract and sustain butterflies, pollinators, birds and other animals, especially when planted in larger groupings that mimic how they grow in nature.
Horticulturists and local experts will be on-site near CNC’s greenhouse and Unity Garden to help visitors select plants tailored to their landscape and preferred look. Admission to the plant sale area is free and does not require a ticket to the nature center.
— Derek Prall
Peach Bowl marks record 2025–26 season for impact, attendance, and giving
The Peach Bowl is reporting a record-setting 2025–26 college football season, with new highs in economic impact, attendance, TV viewership and charitable giving.
The Atlanta-based organization opened the year over Labor Day weekend with two games, Syracuse vs. Tennessee and Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina, and closed the season by hosting its fourth College Football Playoff Semifinal, featuring No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 1 Indiana. Indiana went on to win the CFP National Championship, making the Peach Bowl the first CFP bowl to have three consecutive eventual national champions play in its Semifinal (2019 LSU, 2022 Georgia, 2026 Indiana).
This year’s sold-out CFP Semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium drew 75,604 fans, making it the second-highest attended bowl of the 2025–26 season and the fourth-highest attendance in the game’s 58-year history. Total attendance reached 177,053.
Events this season generated an estimated $111 million in economic impact, $8 million in direct tax revenue, and $5.4 million for charitable causes.
— Derek Prall
Chili for the Children celebrates 20th anniversary with annual chili cook-off benefiting Make-A-Wish Georgia
Chili for the Children will celebrate its 20th anniversary with its annual chili cook-off on Sunday, March 1, from 2 to 4 p.m. at BAR{N} at Dunwoody Village. The fundraiser brings community and local culinary partners together for chili tastings, live music, raffles and a silent auction, with proceeds benefiting Make-A-Wish Georgia.
Founded in 2005 by Jany Brown, the event has grown into a beloved Atlanta tradition, raising more than $450,000 for nonprofit partners focused on children’s health. This year’s anniversary event continues that legacy by supporting Make-A-Wish Georgia. Funds raised will help support the wishes of 19-year-old Luke, who is currently battling leukemia and hopes to travel to Japan with his family.
“Even at the 20-year mark, I’m still amazed that what started as a small office gathering has grown into a lasting legacy of generosity and shared purpose,” said Brown. “This milestone belongs to everyone who has shown up year after year to give back. Every ticket purchased, bid placed and raffle entry helps bring hope to children and families when they need it most.”
All funds raised are donated directly to nonprofit partners. Tickets are $100 per pair, allowing participants to attend together while supporting a meaningful cause.
Tickets and additional event details are available at chiliforthechildren.com.
— Megan Anderson
