Events

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, April 16 at Noon.

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Born and raised in Monroe, Louisiana, Ray James is a critically conscious and outcomes-driven educational leader. Over nearly 15 years, Ray has held various roles in schools & communities in Baton Rouge, LA, Atlanta, GA, and Newark, NJ. His undergraduate and master’s degrees are from LSU (Geaux Tigers!), and outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their 2 young daughters and relishes victories for the Los Angeles Lakers, LSU Tigers, and the culture (politics, hip hop, etc.).

Ray firmly believes in the limitless potential & power of all children and knows they will be the leaders of their revolution- now and later. As a third-year Head of School, Ray looks forward to continuing strong stewardship, community coalition building, and most of all, continuing to co-create the most optimal conditions that Ansley School students, families, staff, and community deserve, and so much more.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, April 23 at Noon.

To View on Zoom:  Click Here.

Richard D. Freer is dean of the Emory University School of Law. He has served on the Emory faculty for 41 years in various leadership roles, guided by the law school mission of preparing principled, sophisticated lawyers who can thrive and lead in any milieu. 

Rich is a noted scholar of civil procedure, federal jurisdiction, and complex litigation. He has authored or co-authored 17 books and dozens of journal articles and essays. His work has been cited by state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Rich is celebrated for his excellence in the classroom. Eleven Emory Law graduating classes have named Rich as Most Outstanding Professor. He is a recipient of Emory University’s highest teaching recognition, the Emory Williams University Teaching Award, and of Emory University’s Scholar/Teacher Award. As a bar review lecturer for more than 30 years, he has lectured to more than 500,000 bar exam candidates nationwide. He has served as a visiting professor at a number of American and international universities. 

Rich is a graduate of University of California San Diego and UCLA Law School. He and his wife, Louise, are the proud parents of Collin, an attorney, and Courtney, who also serves on the Emory faculty.

James “Jay” M. Bailey serves as the President and CEO of the H.J. Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE), where he leads the world's largest entrepreneurial hub dedicated to growing, scaling, and developing Black businesses.

In just five years, under Jay's visionary leadership, RICE supports more than 600 entrepreneurs full time, sustaining 4,125 jobs in the community, and sparking a staggering $557 million of new economic impact in the Metro Atlanta area. Jay and his team have transformed RICE into an economic empowerment and innovation powerhouse.

Jay is an Atlanta native, three-time TED Talker, and die-hard Georgia Bulldog. He has been recognized with the prestigious National Point of Light Award, named one of Atlanta's "Most Admired CEOs" by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, ranked on Atlanta Magazine's "POWER 100" list of the most dynamic leaders in the city, and honored by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential” leaders in the State. His leadership and commitment to the community have been recognized by three U.S. Presidents. In 2012, he was one of eight Americans honored at the White House as a "Champion of Change: Following in the Footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

Currently residing in East Atlanta, Jay shares his life's journey with his wife, Dateline NBC correspondent Blayne Alexander, and their cherished daughters, Sage and Skylar.

INTRODUCTION: Kathy Colbenson

Remarks by Dean Mónica Marín, Consul General of El Salvador

Featuring a Panel Conversation with

Alana Lomónaco Busto, Consul General of the Argentine Republic

Joon-ho Lee, Consul General of the Republic of Korea

Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan, Consul General of India

John Woodward, Honorary Consul of Slovakia

Panel Hosted by Ambassador (ret.) Charles Shapiro

Ronald L. Johnson retired from the U.S. Army in April 2008 at the rank of Major General after serving 32 years. Currently, Dr. Johnson is the Chief of Staff  

and Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at the Georgia Institute of Technology.  

His awards and recognition include the Distinguished Service Medal (with two Oak  Leaf Clusters); Bronze Star, Legion of Merit (with four Oak Leaf Clusters); Combat Action  Badge; Parachutist Badge; Air Assault Badge; 2003 Black Engineer of the Year  Award for Professional Achievement in Government Service; Blacks in Government  Leadership Excellence Award, 2007; Black Engineer of the Year Award Lifetime  Achievement, 2008, the Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization Trailblazer Award  (2017), Atlanta Business League 2018 Man of Influence Award, the highest Georgia Tech  Alumni award -- Joseph Petit Distinguished Graduate Award 2019, 2019 Black Engineer of the Year and College Educator of the Year. 

Kim Greene was named chairman, president and chief executive officer of Georgia Power in 2023. She leads Georgia Power in serving its 2.8 million customers across the state. The company is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the nation’s leading energy providers. Greene is a strong voice in the energy sector, especially on issues related to safety, emerging technologies, innovation and STEM-related education.  She is a respected thought leader and advocate for the future of energy – from national energy policy to the overall customer experience. 

Prior to her current position, Greene served for five years as chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company Gas. In this role, she ensured the delivery of clean, safe, reliable and affordable natural gas to more than 4.3 million utility customers in Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee and Virginia, and to over 600,000 retail gas customers served by SouthStar Energy Services in 10 states. In addition, she oversaw the nonutility businesses that deliver value through energy-related products and services, wholesale gas services and gas midstream operations, including gas pipeline investments and storage and fuels.  

Greene’s 34-year career in energy began in 1991 when she joined Southern Company as an engineer designing equipment for fossil and nuclear power generation stations. Throughout her career she has taken on diverse and challenging roles across all areas of the utility industry including engineering, operations, finance, external affairs, and asset management and trading. She has held  executive roles for Southern Company and its subsidiaries as well as the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), including chief executive  officer for Georgia Power and Southern Company Gas; chief operating officer for Southern Company; president of Southern  Company Services; chief generation officer for TVA; group president, Strategy and External Relations, TVA; and chief financial officer  for TVA.