17th Edition of Who’s Who In Black Atlanta Unveiled

The 17th Edition of “Who’s Who In Black Atlanta” was unveiled to a crowd of more than 600 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis on Friday.

Hiram Jackson

Founded in 1989, “Who’s Who In Black Atlanta” continues to be one of the most sought after recognitions among black Atlanta’s doers, thinkers, creators, and leaders, and powered by Real Times Media, the book is an opportunity to recognize them for making their respective mark on Atlanta and beyond. “‘Who’s Who’ is not the hook up,” said Real Times Media CEO Hiram Jackson, during the event. “You’ve got to do the work. When you see someone in these pages, they have done the work.”

The annual publication’s purpose is to not only celebrate the accomplishments of those featured, but to also pay homage to others who have blazed the trail and made outstanding contributions over the years and continue to make a positive impact in our community.

Emmy award winning journalist and anchor for CBS46 Vince Sims hosted the spirited evening where several pinnacle acknowledgments were bestowed including the Beacon Award to C. David Moody Jr., CEO of C.D. Moody Construction Company; Community Impact Award to the 100 Black Men of Atlanta, 100 Black Men of Metro North, 100 Black Men of Metro South and 100 Black Men of DeKalb; Innovator Award to Rodney Sampson, partner, TechSquare Labs, and chairman & CEO, Opportunity Ecosystem; and the H. J. Russell Trailblazer Award to Curley Dossman Jr., president of the Georgia-Pacific Foundation.

Hank and Yvonne Thomas, WWIBA foreward writers

Mayor Kasim Reed

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who was on-hand to celebrate the honorees, reflected on Who’s Who as a bright spot in his tenure as the city’s 59th mayor.

“It’s always rewarding to recognize the exemplars in the city of Atlanta, who make our hometown one of the unique cities in the world and the leading cities in the world,” said Reed. “You are the Atlanta I dreamed about as a boy.”

Real Times Media will host a variety of networking events planned to continually engage the Who’s Who audience and alumni, Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, “Who’s Who In Black Atlanta” associate publisher, said. “It is very important to me to harness the power present within this room tonight, to maximize relationships and provide opportunities to build your network and brand presence.”

Who’s Who in Black Atlanta event sponsors were MARTA, Cricket Wireless, The Atlanta Hawks, Georgia Pacific, MACY’s, Georgia Power, Grady Health Systems, and Morehouse Healthcare.