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Juanita Baranco Honored by Southern Company in This Year's Evening of Excellence
Juanita Baranco Honored by Southern Company in This Year's Evening of Excellence
Published 10-06-22
Submitted by Southern Company
It was our pleasure to honor this year’s Evening of Excellence Honoree Juanita Baranco. Juanita served on Southern Company’s Board of Directors and is the co-founder of Baranco Automotive Group, one of the first African-American-owned car dealership in metro Atlanta.
At Southern Company, our commitment to equity is not just in our words but our actions. Juanita’s leadership through educational advancement, economic development and services are the actions moving us boldly forward towards equity.
We invite you to get to know this year’s honoree: https://lnkd.in/gzyVnXxm
About Juanita Powell Baranco
Lawyer and entrepreneur Juanita Powell Baranco was born in the District of Columbia. Raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Baranco earned her B.S. and J.D. from Louisiana State University. Before turning to business, Baranco had a successful law career, including serving as Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia. She is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Baranco Automotive Group, which she co-founded with her husband, Gregory Baranco, in 1978. Baranco Automotive Group was one of the first African-American-owned car dealerships in the metropolitan Atlanta area.
Baranco’s extensive involvement in education has led her to serve as the Chairman of the DeKalb County Education Task Force and as a member of the Georgia State Board of Education from 1985 to 1991. She was appointed by Governor Zell Miller to the Board of Regents and in 1995 became the first African-American woman to chair the board. She served on the Board of Trustees of Clark Atlanta University for twenty years, including ten years as board chair. She previously served on the Board of Directors of Georgia Power Company and Southern Company.
Her business and community activities have been recognized with numerous awards including recognition by the Dow Jones Company for entrepreneurial excellence; the first Trumpet Award from Turner Broadcasting System for entrepreneurial excellence; Entrepreneur of the Year by the Atlanta Business League; the DECCA Award from the Atlanta Business Chronicle; the YWCA’s Women of Achievement Award; and most recently the Blanchard Award for Outstanding Stewardship and Ethics in Business. Baranco has been featured in Essence magazine as one of best businesswomen in Atlanta and was also a finalist for the 2003 Time magazine Quality Dealer Award. She is a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar Associations of Georgia and Louisiana.
Southern Company
Southern Company
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a leading energy provider serving 9 million customers across the Southeast and beyond through its family of companies. Providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy with excellent service is our mission. The company has electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company, a leading distributed energy distribution company with national capabilities, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, resilience and sustainability, we are taking action to meet customers' and communities' needs while advancing our goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and are the key to our sustained success. We are transforming energy into economic, environmental and social progress for tomorrow. Our corporate culture and hiring practices have earned the company national awards and recognition from numerous organizations, including Forbes, The Military Times, DiversityInc, Black Enterprise, J.D. Power, Fortune, Human Rights Campaign and more. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com.
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