Georgia Trend’s “100 Most Influential Georgians” is an annual listing of the state’s most powerful and influential citizens who affect the lives and livelihoods of all Georgians.
The 16th edition represents several Georgia Tech-affiliated leaders including CEEatGT emeritus external advisory board member Douglas Hooker, Executive Director, Atlanta Regional Commission, Institute President G.P. “Bud” Peterson, and Ryan Gravel, Senior Urban Designer at Perkins+Will whose 1999 joint architecture/city planning master’s thesis was the original vision for the ambitious Atlanta BeltLine project.
Via Georgia Trend:
Douglas Hooker, Executive Director, Atlanta Regional Commission
Atlanta
Age: 59
Hooker oversees an organization charged with regional planning and intergovernmental coordination for the 10-county, 70-city Atlanta region, home to 4.2 million people. The ARC emphasizes transportation, community development, land use, water and natural resources, aging services and workforce development. In 2013, the ARC focused attention on walkable urban communities and transportation alternatives.
G.P. “Bud” Peterson, President, Georgia Tech
Atlanta
Age: 61
Peterson helps maintain the school’s high standards during a difficult economy. Georgia Tech ranks among the nation’s top 10 universities without a medical school in research expenditures, which exceed $643 million. Peterson believes in “technology-assisted education” and is leading Tech to offer an online Master of Science in Computer Science that is designed to create more qualified workers in STEM fields.
Ryan Gravel, Senior Urban Designer, Perkins+Will
Atlanta
Age: 41
Gravel’s Georgia Tech joint master’s thesis in 1999 was the original vision for the ambitious Atlanta BeltLine, a $2-billion, 22-mile transit greenway that transforms a loop of old railroad property with light-rail transit, parks and trails to generate economic growth and protect quality of life in 45 neighborhoods throughout central Atlanta. He now serves as the design manager for the Atlanta BeltLine Corridor.
View the full list and a bonus roster of “Notable Georgians” here.