{"672886":{"#nid":"672886","#data":{"type":"news","title":"\u2018Georgia Trend\u2019 Names Tech Alumni Among Most Influential Georgians ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor their efforts to transform their communities through public service, leadership, and philanthropy, 11 Georgia Tech alumni have been named among Georgia Trend\u2019s 100 Most Influential Georgians for 2024.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EBrian Blake, EE 1994 \u2013 President, Georgia State University\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUnder Blake\u2019s leadership, Georgia State University received a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gsu.edu\/2023\/08\/14\/georgia-state-university-research-funding-sets-record-for-third-year-in-a-row\/#:~:text=ATLANTA%20%E2%80%94%20Georgia%20State%20University%27s%20research,of%20the%20past%20five%20years.\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eschool-record $224 million\u003C\/a\u003E in research grants in fiscal year 2023 and is preparing to construct its third research tower on campus. Now in his second year, Blake, the university\u2019s first Black president, launched a strategic plan that will guide GSU through 2033 with the goal of building on the four pillars he set when he arrived: research and innovation, student success, college to careers, and identity and placemaking.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u00c1ngel Cabrera, M.S. PSY 1993, Ph.D. PSY 1995 \u2013 President, Georgia Institute of Technology\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/news\/2023\/08\/10\/tech-powers-state-economy-45-billion-impact\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EContributing $4.5 billion to the state economy\u003C\/a\u003E, Georgia Tech leads the 26 University System of Georgia member institutions and ranks among the leading research institutions in the U.S. with over $1.45 billion in research awards annually. In November, Cabrera announced the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/21\/comprehensive-campus-plan-unveiled\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EComprehensive Campus Plan\u003C\/a\u003E, which will increase the Institute\u2019s footprint around Atlanta and includes the innovative Arts Square project, two new residential halls, a thermal energy plant, and additional infrastructure upgrades throughout campus.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003ELisa Cupid, ME 2000 \u2013 Chair, Cobb County Board of Supervisors\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA board member since 2013, Cupid became the first female and first Black chair in 2021. Throughout her career in public service, Cupid has championed efforts to expand transit services and enhance public safety measures, and continues to advocate for inclusion and equity for all Cobb County residents. In 2022, she was appointed to chair the National Association of Counties\u2019 economic development subcommittee. Alongside her duties on the board, Cupid is an attorney and a former policy analyst and manufacturing process engineer.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EAndre Dickens, ChE 1998 \u2013 Mayor, City of Atlanta\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENow in his second year in office, Dickens recently celebrated the culmination of his Year of the Youth campaign, which resulted in a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/geears.org\/news\/mission-accomplished-paact-and-the-city-of-atlanta-exceed-goal-of-20-million-for-early-education\/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CAs%20you%20know%2C%E2%80%9D%20Mayor,city%27s%20early%20childhood%20education%20system.\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E$20 million investment into early childhood education\u003C\/a\u003E in Atlanta and a $1 million pledge to the Boys \u0026amp; Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, among other achievements. This year, the city added 3,000 affordable housing units, with an additional 5,000 planned. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/andreforatlanta\/reel\/C2vXqeFvRbK\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EThe mayor visited the White House\u003C\/a\u003E to discuss infrastructure improvements at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport with President Joe Biden. In 2023, Dickens was elected to lead the Atlanta Regional Commission, becoming the first Atlanta mayor to serve as the board\u2019s chairman.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bkTfT7e99cU\u0026amp;t=5457s\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EWatch Dickens\u2019 May 2022 Georgia Tech Commencement Speech.\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003ERoderick McLean, M.S. EE 1993 \u2013 Vice President and General Manager, Air Mobility and Maritime Missions, Lockheed Martin\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs the vice president for Lockheed Martin\u2019s Air Mobility and Maritime Missions division, McLean oversees 5,000 employees at three of the company\u2019s primary aircraft production facilities and leads the C-130J Super Hercules airlifter, LM 100J, c-5, and P-3 programs. McLean began as a radar systems engineer with Lockheed Martin in 1994, ascending to his current position in 2019. He serves on the Metro Atlanta Chamber Board of Directors and is a member of the Executive Leadership Council.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EJannine Miller, MBA 2013 \u2013 Executive Director, SRTA, GRTA, and Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith more than two decades of experience in the transportation industry, Miller is tasked with improving mobility in Georgia by providing reliable, safe, innovative, multimodal transportation solutions as the leader of the Tollway Authority, Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, and the Atlanta Region Transit Link Authority. In the role, Miller seeks to add express lanes to GA 400 and will explore new ridership options for express commuter bus services.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EJerald Mitchell, MBA 2011 \u2013 President and CEO, Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMitchell took the reins of the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce in 2020 \u2014 becoming its first Black President \u2014 with the goal of attracting businesses to the area while improving local infrastructure. In the past year, Pratt \u0026amp; Whitney announced a $206 million expansion of its Columbus facility, creating 400 new jobs. Mitchell previously served as the vice president of economic development for Atlanta BeltLine Inc. and is the current president of Leadership Georgia, a statewide leadership development program.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EValerie Montgomery Rice, Chem 1983 \u2013 President and Dean, Morehouse School of Medicine\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERice strongly advocates for equity in the medical field as the first female president of the Morehouse School of Medicine. Under her leadership, Morehouse will establish the Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence. With funding from a National Institutes of Health grant, the center will develop methods to reduce maternal mortality rates. Since Rice assumed the role in 2014, Morehouse\u0027s M.D. candidates have doubled.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xqHCnhXLvLI\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EWatch Rice\u2019s May 2018 Georgia Tech Commencement Speech.\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cem\u003EHonorary Degrees:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003ERaphael Bostic, HON Ph.D. 2022 \u2013 President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELeading the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Bostic is responsible for its monetary policy, bank supervision and regulation, and payment services. Bostic is a member of the Federal Open Market Committee, the monetary policymaking body of the Federal Reserve System. In 2021-22, Bostic served as the chair of the board of directors of the United Way of Greater Atlanta and chaired the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce in 2022.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Om80f92NOfs\u0026amp;t=5365s\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EWatch Bostic\u0027s May 2022 Georgia Tech Commencement speech.\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EJames Quincey, HON Ph.D. 2020 \u2013 Chair and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs The Coca-Cola Company continues to experience sustained growth around the globe, including a $1 billion investment in India, the soft drink giant is also investing locally. In March 2023, Quincey and Coca-Cola announced $1.7 million in grants to be distributed to Atlanta youth organizations, including Atlanta Public Schools and the United Way of Greater Atlanta.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bXNUb5m32ro#t=1h28m50s\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EWatch Quincey\u0027s December 2020 Georgia Tech Commencement speech.\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EChris Womack, HON Ph.D. 2023 \u2013 President, CEO, and Chair, Southern Company\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn March 2023, after previously leading Georgia Power, Womack became the president and CEO of Southern Company, which serves more than 9 million customers nationwide. The company has set a goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. Womack has been named among Black Enterprise\u2019s 100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America and received numerous awards for his efforts as a civic and business leader.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/live\/Fq-Y0JyAQfU?si=RArA9MTXWyF8TWt7\u0026amp;t=5187\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EWatch Womack\u2019s December 2023 Georgia Tech Commencement speech\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":" These 11 Yellow Jackets are being recognized for their transformative roles around the state.  "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThese 11 Yellow Jackets are being recognized for their transformative roles around the state.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":" These 11 Yellow Jackets are being recognized for their transformative roles around the state.  "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2024-02-12 17:58:32","changed_gmt":"2024-02-15 15:54:10","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-02-12T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-02-12T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"673050":{"id":"673050","type":"image","title":"Georgia Trend 2024 Most Influential Georgians ","body":null,"created":"1707761316","gmt_created":"2024-02-12 18:08:36","changed":"1707761316","gmt_changed":"2024-02-12 18:08:36","alt":"11 Georgia Tech alumni have been named among \u0027Georgia Trend\u0027s\u0027 2024 Most Influential Georgians ","file":{"fid":"256401","name":"GA Trend 2024 w Shadow.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/12\/GA%20Trend%202024%20w%20Shadow.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/12\/GA%20Trend%202024%20w%20Shadow.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":95849,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/02\/12\/GA%20Trend%202024%20w%20Shadow.jpg?itok=ZBDSX-Br"}}},"media_ids":["673050"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.georgiatrend.com\/2023\/12\/29\/2024-100-most-influential-georgians\/","title":"\u0027Georgia Trend\u0027 2024 100 Most Influential Georgians"},{"url":"https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/news\/2023\/01\/10\/yellow-jackets-featured-georgia-trend-list-influential-georgians","title":"2023: Yellow Jackets Featured in \u2018Georgia Trend\u2019 List of Influential Georgians "}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"}],"keywords":[{"id":"11644","name":"Georgia Trend"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:Steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E - Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Steven.gagliano@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}