Uplifting Places

Some of the most profound experiences in college are gained from experiences beyond the college campus.

Piedmont Park Conservancy Chief Executive Officer Doug Widener completed the Master of Science in Environmental Studies program at Ohio University long ago, yet his inspiring work with residents in Appalachian Ohio during college resonates with him today.

Doug leads the nonprofit organization in charge of managing and enhancing Atlanta's most celebrated greenspace. As the Conservancy observes its 35th anniversary this year, he discusses inspirations in his career and aspirations for Piedmont Park.

The journey by Crystal and Mark Mandica to establish The Amphibian Foundation included some eureka moments in their lives.

Through their nonprofit organization, these visionary conservation leaders are dedicated to implement lasting solutions to the global amphibian extinction crisis and to inspire people in Atlanta to live in harmony with wildlife, including snakes. Crystal, Mark, and their team work diligently to help people of all ages in finding their eureka moments with amphibians.

Hear their amazing story with this episode of Uplifting Places.

Atlanta architect Cheryl McAfee FAIA, NOMA grew up in a home shaped by leadership, civic activism, and transformative architecture. Her father, architect Charles McAfee FAIA, NOMA, is noted as one of the most important African American architects in the United States.

Charles McAfee Architects and Planners designed projects for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and MARTA, including the Atlanta Midtown MARTA Station. Assuming leadership of the firm in 2006 renamed McAfee3 Architects, Cheryl led the design and construction for all thirty-three sports venues of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Recent projects, such as the modernization of the South Fulton, Northside, and Spruill Oaks branches in the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, excite Cheryl.

As her family's firm celebrates in sixtieth anniversary, Cheryl discusses her life shaped by a legacy of leadership, activism, and design excellence.

The one-time Miami Dolphins football player is tackling ambitious projects that carry historical weight as the Principal of the design firm Lord Aeck Sargent.

For the past five years, Jack Pyburn, FAIA has focused on the preservation of historical African-American sites. He describe projects, such as the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge, as the most professionally rewarding in his 45+ year career.

You'll be rewarded listening to this conversation.

A University of Georgia graduate, Doug first joined the Atlanta Business Chronicle in 2006 as its healthcare reporter before assuming the commercial real estate beat in 2007. He then spent more than a decade as the Commercial Real Estate Editor for the publication.

Since 2022, Doug Sams has held the position of Editor-in-chief at the Atlanta Business Chronicle. As his career has advanced, his appreciation for great places has expanded to include built and natural spaces.

Maria Balais shares her heartfelt journey to leadership across nonprofit, public, and corporate sectors and her impact with diverse communities across the Atlanta region. She selected the headquarters of the Latin American Association (LAA) as the location for the podcast interview.

The LAA offices have a special place in Maria's heart. In her current role of Director of Programs for Greater Women’s Business Council (GWBC), Maria provides oversight for programs that engage and strengthen women-owned businesses and member corporations.

You will gain insight about her start at the Latin American Association, her role in developing community leadership, and her path to the Greater Women’s Business Council.

While Black architects comprise only 3% of the field, Jordache Avery AIA has triumphed over the challenges as a new firm and occasional biases from prospective clients.

In 2021, Atlanta magazine named him as one of the most powerful leaders in Atlanta. XMETRICAL has grown to be one of the most in-demand modern home design firms in Atlanta. His portfolio has expanded to feature affordable housing, entertainment, and commercial office projects.

Avery truly has great designs for Atlanta communities.

Lauren Standish took an untraditional route to become a landscape architect, yet she has clearly found her passion and purpose. As Principal, she leads award-winning projects at the landscape architecture firm HGOR. By helping diverse stakeholders to cultivate common ground with complex issues, Lauren uplifts people and places.

The sights and sounds of Sara J. Gonzales Park in Atlanta stir a heartwarming conversation with Misty Fernandez, Regional Director at Georgia Power. She leads Georgia Power’s external activities for the City of Atlanta and the Metro South region, including customer service, sales, region operations, charitable giving, and community and economic development for Fulton, Clayton, Henry, Butts, Spalding, Fayette and Coweta counties.

A child of immigrants, Misty's childhood experiences without parks, extensive roles at Georgia Power for over 23 years, and the considerable needs of immigrants fuel her commitment to bring recognition, resources, and well-designed parks like this one to Latino communities.

Childhood visits to Atlanta parks and professional roles with community affairs, television, Piedmont Park Conservancy, and Georgia Conservancy gave Monica Thornton a deep-seeded appreciation for the environment. Enjoying a breezy morning at Piedmont Park, Monica discusses how local experiences shape her work as Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy in Georgia and fuels her passion for consensus-building, education, and inclusion with conservation.

The Oakland Bell Tower is ringing new energy at historic Oakland Cemetery in Southeast Atlanta. The 48-acre cemetery on the National Register of Historic Places was established in 1850 and designated as a City of Atlanta Park in 1932. Built at the site of the demolished Death House in 1899, the Bell Tower held space for the cemetery sexton to manage burials and conduct record-keeping at one of the largest cemetery greenspaces in Atlanta.

Cramped and drab interior spaces, lack of accessibility, and overuse of the Bell Tower led Historic Oakland Foundation to hire Atlanta-based Smith Dalia Architects for the rehabilitation of the 2,800-square foot building.

This Uplifting Places episode with Smith Dalia Architects Principal Greg Cross highlights the modernization of this historic building in Atlanta's oldest cemetery greenspace to address the myriads of the needs for the Foundation and the public today.

Charlie Monroe cultivates stronger communities as Natural Resources Manager for Cobb County PARKS. We met for this interview at one of the sites that he manages: Hyde Farm, a 42-acre greenspace rooted in history, culture, and beauty.

While Charlie is passionate about the Georgia Bulldogs, he is even more passionate about fulfilling the word "community" in "community gardening." Cultivating a love for community gardening, especially with Black youths, can be a challenge given our nation's history. However, Charlie isn't deterred. With his community gardening and fishing initiatives, you will be inspired.

The journey to conserve Lake Charlotte Nature Preserve as a City of Atlanta Park has been difficult, yet triumphant. For decades, industrial companies threatened to transform the 216-acre forest located in southeast Atlanta into wasteland. Applying his experience as a lawyer, Stacy Funderburke, Regional Counsel & Georgia and Alabama Associate State Director with The Conservation Fund, unearths the process to preserve one of the largest greenspaces in the city, explaining the history of the site, key partnerships, the power of passionate community leaders, and his hopes for the future.

Roosevelt Hall is regaining its glory and timeless beauty. The historic building in the Atlanta University Center community was completed in 1937 as the Administrative Building for University Homes, the first federal public housing project for African-American families.  The Administrative Building was renamed Roosevelt Hall in honor of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1940s.

Designed by Atlanta-based architectural firm Edwards & Sayward in the International Style of architecture, Roosevelt Hall opened with eight storefront spaces for a five-and-dime store, dairy, barber, hair salon, three grocers, and a Yates and Milton Drugstore, a branch of a well-known African-American-owned pharmacy chain. The second floor held community spaces for concerts, dance recitals, recreation youth programs, and organized group gatherings. Destruction of University Homes buildings in 2008, including 800-housing units, due the deteriorating neighborhood conditions left Roosevelt Hall as the last remaining structure at the historic site.

Ten years after the Roosevelt Hall was abandoned, construction of new housing nearby has renewed interest in this landmark. In 2019, the Atlanta Housing Authority selected architectural firm Moody-Nolan for the adaptive re-use of the 23,650 square foot building, designated to earn LEED Gold Certification.  Moody-Nolan Director of Atlanta Operations Linda Nunnelly describes the renovation to be completed in spring 2023 as “a full-circle revitalization of an historic building.” 

Find out more about the transformation of this landmark with the inaugural Uplifting Place podcast episode featuring an interview between host Melody Harclerode, FAIA and Linda Nunnelly.