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Hiring for Travel Marketing Roles?

Hiring Smartly for Digital Travel Marketing Role As a travel agency owner, DMO CEO, hotel owner, tour operator or SaaS travel software entrepreneur you might be wondering how to approach digital travel marketing in the coming years. You might agree that it’s getting more difficult to compete and manage your marketing budget. You want to…

Barracuda Networks, Inc., a trusted partner and leading provider of cloud-first security solutions, has today published the CIO report: Leading your business through cyber risk, which explores the top governance challenges facing companies trying to manage cyber risk and boost their cyber resilience. The report offers practical tools such as a checklist template, created with Barracuda’s own IT and security leadership, to help companies navigate their way to resilience.

Leveraging data from the international Cybernomics 101 study, the report assesses how challenges relating to security policies, management support, third-party access, and supply chains can undermine a company’s ability to withstand and respond to cyberattacks.

Among other things, the findings show that many organizations find it hard to implement company-wide security policies such as authentication measures and access controls. Half (49%) of the smaller to mid-sized companies surveyed listed this as one of their top two governance challenges. Further, just over a third (35%) of the smaller companies worry that senior management doesn’t see cyberattacks as a significant risk, while the larger companies are most likely to struggle with a lack of budget (38%) and skilled professionals (35%).

Many organizations have concerns about a lack of security and control over the supply chain and visibility into third parties with access to sensitive or confidential data. Around one in 10 doesn’t have an incident response plan to turn to in the event of a successful breach.

“For many businesses today, a security incident of some kind is almost inevitable,” said Siroui Mushegian, CIO of Barracuda Networks. “What matters is how you prepare for, withstand, respond to, and recover from the incident. This is cyber resilience. Advanced, defense-in-depth security solutions will take you most of the way there, but success also depends on security governance — the policies and programs, leadership, and more that enable you to manage risk. When NIST updated its benchmark cybersecurity framework earlier this year, it added security governance as a strategic priority.”

The report offers practical templates to help organizations manage cyber risk and map where they are in their journey toward cyber resilience. The cyber resilience checklist draws on the latest iteration of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework and can be freely downloaded and printed from the Barracuda website.

YWCA Greater Atlanta hosted its annual Salute to Women of Achievement on Thursday, April 18th, 2024. This event celebrates remarkable women who embody the YWCA’s mission and contribute significantly to the community. 

The luncheon was dedicated to recognizing the outstanding achievements of extraordinary women, showcasing their exemplary leadership and dedication to making a positive impact in Atlanta. The 2024 honorees included Paige Alexander, President and CEO of the Carter Center; Deisha Barnett, President of Global Communications for UPS; Julia Houston, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer for Equifax; Kaye Husbands Fealings, Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation and former dean of Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College; Chanel Frazier, Head of BlackRock Atlanta; Ayesha Khanna, Managing Director of CARE Enterprises; Lauren Koontz, President and CEO of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta; Gina Espinosa-Meltzer, CEO of Hope Beckham Espinosa; Maya Penn, CEO of Maya’s Ideas; and April Ross, Executive Director of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence. 

In a touching tribute, this year’s surprise Woman of Achievement was named as Phillis Wheatley, in honor of the Collaboration in Action Campaign to renovate the Phillis Wheatley Center on Atlanta’s Westside. 

The event also served as a platform to highlight YWCA Greater Atlanta’s core programs, including the Early Learning Academy, Digital Skills Academy, EncorePLUS, and Georgia Women’s Policy Institute. Through the inaugural Fund The Mission initiative, an impressive $140,885 was raised to support these essential programs, marking a significant milestone for the organization. 

The success of the event was further amplified by the generous contributions of sponsors, surpassing a total of $300,000 . Delta Airlines was recognized as the 2024 Salute Heritage Sponsor, alongside corporate sponsors including The Coca~Cola Company, Georgia Power, and Ann Stallard. Distinguished sponsors included The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Chick-fil-A Inc., Georgia Tech, Kaiser Permanente, and Southwire. Affiliate sponsors Federal Home Loan Bank Atlanta and PNC, as well as community sponsors AT&T, Blackrock, Equifax, Georgia Pacific, Hope-Beckham-Espinosa, Inc., Imara Aids Healthcare Foundation, Bari & Russell Love, Marriott Marquis, SouthState Bank, Truist, YMCA of Metro Atlanta, and Andrew & Carolyn Young, played pivotal roles in the event’s success. 

YWCA Greater Atlanta extends its deepest gratitude to all sponsors, supporters, and attendees who helped make the 2024 Salute to Women of Achievement an unforgettable event celebrating the remarkable achievements of women in Atlanta.  

If you would like to make a contribution to Fund Our Mission, please visit https://www.ywcaatlanta.org/donate-to-our-programs. Note “Salute” in the comment box. 

I take reliability seriously.

Georgia’s demand for electricity is growing and more capacity is needed to maintain essential reliability. Although we are growing our use of solar and nuclear energy, we are still dependent on a diverse mix of fuels, including natural gas, to provide energy when we really need it.  Here’s why it matters.

First, people are coming to Georgia to live, work and play—and it takes ample electricity to power their opportunities.   That includes supporting community development and job providers such as manufacturers, studios, hospitality, and small business.

“Capacity” on the power grid can be real or virtual. The recent vote on our Integrated Resource Plan included large batteries in shipping-like containers, gas turbines, and even smart thermostats that can be turned on and off with an algorithm for interested customers.  As we add batteries at utility-scale solar sites, we can count on solar even more to help reliably serve customers. I often say batteries are like bacon—it makes everything better.

Second, as more energy load develops on our system, we need to maintain our reserve margin of power.  The Commission’s recent vote protects that reliability ensuring that customers benefit from system growth. This margin isn’t used every week, or even every month—but when we need it, we really need it. Reserve margin is like insurance—but protecting homes and businesses against outages. Despite rigorous preventive maintenance on our grid system and power plants, extreme temperatures still stress the system. Power plants can trip off.  Large lines can be rendered temporarily out of service. Therefore, we have to maintain our readiness.  Other states have reserve margins less than ours.  It is not unusual to see public alerts going out in those states asking people to throttle back their usage.  We really don’t want to do that in Georgia, and we build our system to withstand the extremes.

Third, while Georgia has been in the top 10 for solar for five years running, we still rely heavily on fossil fuels to power our generating plants. In fact, natural gas is critical in growing our use of renewables. Noted expert Georgia Tech professor, Marilyn Brown PhD, attributes natural gas with drastically improving Atlanta’s air quality.  Why?  Because natural gas is cleaner than other fossil resources.  How clean? CO2 emissions are cut of half.  The bottom line: energy resources are most valuable when they all work together. 

Nationally, high energy costs have been driven by the pandemic, global conflicts, and rising interest rates. The PSC decision is projected to reduce rates an average of $2.89 per residential customer per month. That means 2.3 million Georgia Power households will be saving over $82 million as a result of our decision. In times of inflation like we are experiencing today, any size reduction can help.  

How can you add more energy yet reduce costs for existing customers?  The Commission insisted that new, large energy users foot the bill for this expansion in energy infrastructure. In fact, existing customers will benefit from the increased capacity and supply.   We simply have to make investments to upgrade our transmission system, add smart technologies and acquire needed capacity for our future.  It is what Georgians are counting on us to do.

Your Public Service Commission has prioritized growth, prosperity and making Georgia a top place to live. We have helped oversee a more resilient grid, smarter technology, and a cleaner environment. We have listened to our constituents and taken action. Let’s work together to keep Georgia great…and growing.

Tim Echols is Vice-Chair of the Georgia PSC. He has owned 7 EVs, has solar on his home, and co-chair the Hydrogen Energy Braintrust.

North Highland, the leading change and transformation consultancy, is pleased to welcome Monesia “Mone” Taylor Brown as vice president of Government Relations. Based in Tallahassee, Fla., Brown will lead the firm’s Government Relations strategy while driving growth for its Public Sector industry.

Brown’s experience spans emergency disaster response and recovery, corporate community investment and managing corporate initiatives in Florida in partnership with state and local governments. Most recently, she served as director of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Walmart Inc.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mone to the team,” said Wayne Messina, managing director and Public Sector Lead for North Highland. “With more than 20 years of experience in state and local government public affairs strategy, Mone is known for her extensive leadership and experience, and we know her addition will only ensure our ability to better serve our clients.”

Prior to her experience with Walmart, Brown served as an attorney and consultant, focusing on legislative and executive branch matters such as economic development, state procurement, education and more. She also held leadership roles in several capacities for the State of Florida.

In addition to her experience, Brown holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Illinois State University, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School and is a member of the Florida Bar. She also serves on the board of directors for the Jacksonville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the Florida State Board of Education, Boys Town North Florida, Leadership Florida and the Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce.

Learn more about North Highland’s Public Sector expertise at https://www.northhighland.com/industry-expertise/general-government-services.

Seventeen (17) Atlanta Public Schools (APS) students have been named Georgia Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) Finalists, a coveted residential summer program for skilled, knowledgeable, and talented high school sophomores and juniors. The APS finalists represent Atlanta Classical Academy, Benjamin E. Mays High School, Maynard Jackson High School, Midtown High School and North Atlanta High School and will join other finalists from across the state of Georgia to participate in specialized instruction designed to provide students with academic, cultural, and social enrichment necessary to become the next generation of global leaders.

The Atlanta Public Schools Governor’s Honors Program finalists are: 

Benjamin Adkinson (Benjamin E. Mays), Sophie Antell (Maynard Jackson), William Thomas (Midtown), Miles McNeese (Atlanta Classical Academy), Molly Walker (Maynard Jackson), Nuria Bey (Midtown), Ekaterina Tumanova (Midtown), Megan Bookspun (Midtown), Penelope Keenan (Midtown), Lila Duke (Midtown), Claire Collins (North Atlanta), Katherine Mason (North Atlanta), Alexandra Pugeda (North Atlanta), Zachary Wilson (North Atlanta), Nathaniel Laing (North Atlanta), Aria Brooks (North Atlanta), and Gabrielle Monplaisir (North Atlanta).

“I am proud of APS’ remarkable group of Governor’s Honors program finalists. Our students have worked hard to achieve thisopportunity. I look forward to seeing how their participation in the program will transform their lives.” says Dr. Danielle Battle, Interim Superintendent.

The Georgia Governor’s Honors Program is sponsored by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. The rigorous program is held in mid-summer (mid-June to mid-July) as a residential educational experience on a college or university campus. Students attend classes in the mornings and afternoons in specific areas of study, and participate in a wide variety of social and instructional opportunities every evening. Meals and rooms are provided by the program. The only required and expected costs to the students are: travel expenses to and from the semifinalist event and host campus; a few basic supplies for classes and dorm rooms; and spending money as desired during the program.