Roz Brewer and John Brock to be honored at 30th annual JA Atlanta Business Hall of Fame

Originally published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle by Maria Saporta

Two iconic Atlanta business leaders will be honored at the 2019 JA Atlanta Business Hall of Fame on Feb. 23 at the InterContinental Buckhead.

They are Rosalind "Roz" Brewer, chief operating officer and group president of Starbucks Corp. (Nasdaq: SBUX); and John F. Brock, retired CEO of Coca-Cola European Partners (NYSE: CCE).

The JA Hall of Fame is one of the top recognitions highlighted in Atlanta each year. It honors people for their distinguished careers and philanthropic achievements in the Atlanta community.

The 2019 Hall of Fame will be the 30th annual for JA Georgia.

Before joining Starbucks, Brewer was president and CEO of Sam’s Club, a division of Walmart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT). She was the first woman and first African-American to fill the role of CEO at one of Walmart Stores.

Brewer is a native of Detroit who moved to Atlanta to attend Spelman College, graduating in 1984. She joined Spelman’s board of trustees in 2006, and she now serves as chair of its board. Brewer also chaired the search for Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell, who joined the Historically Black College and University in 2015.

Brewer joined Walmart in 2006 as its regional vice president responsible of overseeing operations in Georgia.

Prior to joining Walmart, Brewer worked for 22 years at Kimberly-Clark Corp., where she eventually became president of the Global Nonwovens Sector in 2004. Brewer serves on the board of Lockheed Martin Corp. Fortune Magazine recently named her to its 2018 Most Powerful Women in Business list.

Before retiring as CEO of Coca-Cola European Partners in December 2016, Brock served as chairman and CEO of Coca-Enterprises from 2006 to May 2016 (when there was a merger of European bottlers).

Brock began his career with Procter & Gamble and later joined Cadbury Schweppes, serving in several executive roles, becoming its COO in 2000. From 2003 to 2006, Brock was CEO of InBev.

Currently, Brock serves on the board of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

Brock also has served in multiple civic leadership roles in Atlanta, and he chairs the GT Foundation. Brock, who as a BS and MS in chemical engineering from Georgia Tech, also chaired the university’s recent capital campaign.

He also is chair of Horizons Atlanta, an organization focused on summer learning for under-served children. Brock and his son, John IV, are co-owners of Team Envy and the Dallas Fuel, which are eSports teams. His wife, Mary, also is a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream. They have three children and seven grandchildren.

To find out more about the event, click here.

Sage Foundation nominates Jack Harris as a charity pioneer

In an effort to showcase leaders across the globe that work each day to make the world a better place, Sage Foundation has created Charity Pioneers. The chosen pioneers have been selected for the causes they promote, including entrepreneurship, diversity and inclusion, education, and well-being.

JA of Georgia's President and CEO Jack Harris has been nominated to the Charity Pioneer’s list for his outstanding leadership in transforming education. 

“I’m honored to have been chosen as one of Sage Foundation’s Charity Pioneers,” said Jack Harris, President and CEO, JA of Georgia. “The mission of the Sage Foundation, to help more people reach their true potential, aligns closely with the work we’re doing at JA of Georgia, and makes their investment and insight so valuable to our organization.”

Nominations for Charity Pioneers are open online until September 21st, 2018. Nominees have the chance to be featured on the list of Charity Pioneers and also win $5,000 of Enterprise Fund funding in the upcoming prize draw.

To find out more, and to see other nominee's inspiring stories visit Sage.

Atlanta businesses help prepare students with real-world skills and confidence through an innovative approach to high school

By: Steve Voorhees, CEO, WestRock. Originally published in Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Our world is faster, more connected and more complex than it’s ever been. Today’s students are part of the first digitally native generation and are poised to enter the most technology dependent economies to date. Businesses will rely on this generation to help them seamlessly transition through new technologies and needs – some of which have yet to be imagined. 

So, why are companies continually concerned about an ever-growing skills gap in the upcoming work force?

Because while we focus so much on technological advancements and its impacts, we begin to overlook the human element. The soft skills – effective communication, a solution-oriented mindset, collaboration – that are just as important than the technical ones. These are competencies businesses need individuals to obtain before they enter the workforce.

With 90 percent of American children in the public education system, it seems that’s exactly where the groundwork should begin. How can we support our schools to effectively provide students with the resources and opportunities to develop these skills so they are primed to excel in careers of today and tomorrow?

Across our country businesses are independently meeting to determine ways they can meaningfully engage in education. And, what I have discovered through WestRock’s most recent involvement in this space, is that schools and school systems are having the same conversations.

As CEO of a Fortune 500 company with strong ties to Atlanta, as well as my longtime commitment to help students  succeed in a global economy, I am confident that a solution is on the horizon and that it’s is being incubated right here in Atlanta.

Developed as joint ventures with school systems, and strategic partnerships with the business community, JA Academy  has the potential to systematically transform high school education. This approach integrates real-world business connectivity into the everyday learning experience to create a highly engaging and relevant learning environment.

Transformation has already begun within various schools. Since 2015, the inaugural JA Academy class of students has demonstrated a dramatic improvement in engagement and, as a result, elevated academic outcomes.

The students at JA Academy are building higher-order transferable skills like communication, collaboration and creativity. The unique JA Academy approach provides students opportunities to discover their strengths and passions, while exploring future possibilities. This was evident when more than 100 freshmen from JA Academy at Norcross High School visited WestRock to present their prospective solutions around communication, culture and employee engagement.

The innovative approach being practiced at the JA Academy can transform our schools and empower students to graduate as the most knowledgeable, skilled and confident generation to enter the workforce.

The first JA Academy class will graduate from Banneker High School in 2019. They will be the first cohort of students with four years of real-world experiences, business backgrounds and an unstoppable drive for success that will have prepared them to take on all the challenges of today’s economy.

The second JA Academy at Norcross High School will graduate its first class in 2020, and the most recent location, JA Academy at Douglass High School will graduate in 2021. Implementation plans to expand the footprint to provide many more graduates from JA Academies will follow closely behind.

We all know that Atlanta is unique – our community is marked by our ability to cross sectors, come together and unite efforts for the common good. And because of what’s taking place right now at the JA Academy, I believe Atlanta will soon have another title to be proud of: The hub for innovation in education.