Emerging 100 of Atlanta

Emerging 100 of Atlanta Award-winning young professional auxiliary of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc

Phoenix Award Honor

MISSION

To enhance the mentoring and tutoring programs of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc. with a focus at B.E.S.T Academy High School and the Collegiate 100, while serving as role models to the entire community. VALUES

Leadership, Hard Work, Honesty, Integrity, Accountability, and Citizenship

06/10/2026

Leadership starts from within.

At Emerging 100, our commitment to service extends beyond the communities we impact—it also includes investing in the growth and development of our members. Creating spaces for meaningful conversations, shared experiences, and professional development is essential to building the next generation of leaders.

This powerful discussion explored leadership, career growth, and the realities of navigating corporate spaces as Black men. Through honest dialogue, personal insights, and lessons learned, our members gained valuable perspectives on how to lead with authenticity, overcome challenges, and create opportunities for those coming behind them.

As an organization, we understand that when we pour into our members, they are better equipped to pour into the communities they serve. Leadership is not just about the positions we hold—it’s about the impact we make and the doors we open for others.

Please join us in congratulating the newest members selected for the Class of 2027:• Dr. Fortune Onwuzuruike (), Sr. S...
06/07/2026

Please join us in congratulating the newest members selected for the Class of 2027:

• Dr. Fortune Onwuzuruike (), Sr. Security Manager at

• Keith Glass, Program Director of Community Affairs
at

LEAD Atlanta has long served as a catalyst for civic-minded leaders committed to shaping the future of our region. Through meaningful dialogue, community engagement, and exposure to the issues and opportunities facing our city, the program develops leaders who are prepared to make a lasting impact.

We are proud to see Fortune and Keith take part in this transformative experience and look forward to the perspectives, relationships, and opportunities they will bring back to both our organization and the broader Atlanta community.

Join us in celebrating this incredible achievement and wishing them a successful LEAD Atlanta journey. 👏🏾

“Because of scholarships like this, I am proud to say that next spring I will be graduating from Spelman College debt fr...
06/05/2026

“Because of scholarships like this, I am proud to say that next spring I will be graduating from Spelman College debt free.” — Autumn G. Gary

Autumn G. Gary came to Spelman College without a full ride. And first semester, her mother — a Spelman alumna, class of 1997 — was diagnosed with colon cancer.
Her family faced strain on every level. Mentally. Emotionally. Financially. Autumn kept going anyway.

Today she is a Political Science major on the pre-law track, serving as Chief Justice of the Student Government Association, 1st Chair Attorney on the Mock Trial Team, and Co-Education Chair of Collegiate 100. She has interned at Jones Day, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, the Georgia House of Representatives, and completed the FBI Academy Scholar Program. Law school is next on the horizon

Her mother, one year cancer free, and her younger brother accepted this scholarship on her behalf. That image said everything about the family that built her.

The Emerging 100 of Atlanta is proud to invest in Autumn G. Gary. She is one of ours — and wherever she goes, she takes this community with her.

“The punch didn’t define me, but it helped me find the leader that I want to be.” — Rhyland O’NeilSophomore year. A vars...
06/05/2026

“The punch didn’t define me, but it helped me find the leader that I want to be.” — Rhyland O’Neil

Sophomore year. A varsity basketball game. A punch from a kid whose name Rhyland still doesn’t know.

He could have hit back. He could have let the embarrassment, the whispers, and the jokes eat him alive. Instead, he chose to understand before he reacted. And when he finally spoke up about how the aftermath was affecting him, something he hadn’t expected came forward. Leadership.

Rhyland is the proud son of Reginald and Monishae O’Neil and carries a 4.3 GPA while conducting graduate-level biomedical research in the Botchwey Lab at Georgia Tech. His work on Sickle Cell Disease — a condition that hits African American communities disproportionately hard — earned recognition at regional, state, and international science fairs and landed publication in Cytotherapy, the official journal of the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy. He also plays the harp and led his varsity soccer team to a state championship — after recovering from that same concussion.

This fall he heads to Duke or Vanderbilt University to study Biomedical Engineering, carrying that same grace and unbreakable resolve into everything ahead.

We celebrate Rhyland and thank Same House for investing in the leader he is becoming. How he responded to that punch tells you everything you need to know about who he is.

“The person who forgets the ultimate becomes slave to the immediate.” — John Maxwell, as quoted by Charles Winfrey IIICh...
06/04/2026

“The person who forgets the ultimate becomes slave to the immediate.” — John Maxwell, as quoted by Charles Winfrey III

Charles Winfrey III walked onto Morehouse College’s campus in Fall 2023 and immediately started paying attention — not to the athletes or the entertainers, but to the businessmen, philosophers, theologians, and thinkers. The men of principle. He watched them closely, then made a decision to become that example for someone else.

He served as CFO of the Morehouse Business Association, co-founded MBA Unplugged — a podcast on financial literacy — and sat across from Robert F. Smith on PBS NewsHour talking about the racial wealth gap in America. He sits on the Junior Board of Trustees at Morehouse, pledged Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., runs with the Visionary Chapter of Collegiate 100, and shows up regularly to mentor students at BEST Academy. He interned at Wellington Management in Boston, studied Corporate Finance as a Warburg Pincus Scholar at Wharton, and this summer walks into Centerview Partners in New York City as an incoming Investment Banking Analyst.

None of those titles are his identity. What keeps him grounded is that John Maxwell quote — the person who forgets the ultimate becomes a slave to the immediate. He is building for something much bigger than a promotion or a number on a check. He is building for the young men at BEST Academy who now have a real example of what a principled, purpose-driven life looks like.

We celebrate Charles and thank you to Microsoft () for making this scholarship possible. Their investment in the next generation of community-centered leaders creates the kind of impact that compounds in ways no spreadsheet can measure.

“My story started with concrete, but it does not end there. If my heart is made of concrete, then my purpose is to build...
06/03/2026

“My story started with concrete, but it does not end there. If my heart is made of concrete, then my purpose is to build something strong enough for others to lean on.” — Decarltavious Barber

Cut Decarltavious Barber and you will not see blood. You will see concrete — because his family, his community, and the people who shaped him are cemented onto his heart.

He grew up navigating basketball courts, classrooms, and crossroads at the same time. At ten years old, he stood at a fork between three very different paths. His mother’s discipline and his love of sports kept him moving forward. Then he lost his best friend — shot by accident, gone in an instant. His heart shattered. When words finally came back, so did clarity. He stopped talking and started doing.

He helped raise $5,000 for a brother’s tuition. Through , he mentored 20 to 30 Black youth in professionalism, money management, and public speaking. The Urban League of Greater Atlanta honored him for his community work. Year Up Greater Atlanta gave him the John McDonald Trailblazer Award. He sits on the board of POWER Atlanta, runs with Collegiate 100, and is building Escaliber — his organization focused on financial literacy, personal development, and real workforce opportunity for underserved communities.

He studies Economics at Georgia State University now, with his eyes on a career in the energy sector and a future where the people coming behind him have the tools they need to build something lasting.

We celebrate Decarltavious and thank Diversified Financial for this investment. Their team has personally poured into this program and these students — and that kind of commitment turns concrete into a foundation others can build on for generations. Decarltavious is also proudly recognized as a Rogue Elephant Scholar — a testament to the belief that greatness in a young person is worth investing in before the rest of the world catches on.

“Literacy is just knowing the parts. What my community truly needs is fluency — how to make a dollar land, stay, and cir...
06/03/2026

“Literacy is just knowing the parts. What my community truly needs is fluency — how to make a dollar land, stay, and circulate.” — Lourde Woods

Lourde Woods was seven years old when his father handed him a pot of bottled water and told him to adapt. The power was out. They couldn’t cover the bill that week. Sitting there with soap in his eyes, Lourde started asking a question that never left him — what did they have that we didn’t?

That question built everything. He is a senior at North Atlanta High School, an IB Diploma candidate, President of DECA, Director of Membership for the Junior Economic Club of Atlanta, and Public Forum Captain of his debate team. He has gained real exposure to asset management and investing, and dedicates himself to financial literacy initiatives that open doors for younger generations in underserved communities.

He sees clearly what others miss — financial literacy alone is not enough. His community doesn’t just need to know the parts. They need fluency. The ability to make a dollar land, stay, and circulate. That distinction drives everything he does.

This fall he studies Finance and Economics at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania — not to stack success, but to bring real tools, businesses, and solutions back to the communities that raised him.

We are grateful to HELP Inc. for investing in Lourde’s vision. As a Rogue Elephant Scholar, he carries the legacy of Thomas W. Dortch Jr. forward — proof that when you believe in a young person early, they go on to change everything. One day, because of investments like this, no child will shower from a pot and wonder why.

“Change doesn’t just magically happen. It starts with a decision.” — Charles Amica IIICharles Amica III made his first d...
06/02/2026

“Change doesn’t just magically happen. It starts with a decision.” — Charles Amica III

Charles Amica III made his first decision to change the world at seven years old.

Outside a restaurant with his mother, he saw a homeless woman and her daughter. Their sign read “Please help me and my daughter. Anything helps.” He gave them everything in his pocket — not for recognition, but because he genuinely felt what it was like to be in her shoes. When she looked at him and said “God bless you,” something in him changed for good.

That decision became an action. That action became a mission.

At Frederick Douglass High School, Charles ranks eighth in his class, serves as president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and Mr. Frederick Douglass, and holds membership in the National Honor Society, Beta Club, and Atlanta Technical College’s dual enrollment program. He captains the varsity basketball team — leading his squad to a Final Four appearance this year — and off the court, leads his teammates to read to elementary students and feed the homeless. He carries his grandfather’s watch everywhere as a reminder that time stops for no one.

This fall he takes that mission to Alabama A&M University, studying Criminal Justice with a minor in Journalism, with his eyes set on becoming a homicide detective who brings peace to the communities he serves.

We celebrate Charles and sincerely thank Gas South () for fueling this moment. Twenty years and over $20 million invested in communities speaks for itself — and Charles is exactly the kind of young leader that investment was built for.

05/29/2026

“Do what you’re passionate about doing.”

Some of the best advice is often the simplest. There is no perfect résumé, no perfect career track, and no single formula for success. Instead, pursue the things that genuinely inspire you. Do what motivates you to get up each morning and do the best job that you can.

When you’re passionate about the work you do and believe in what you’re building, it shows. You work harder, lead better, and find fulfillment in the journey along the way. Passion creates purpose, and purpose creates impact.

Trust your path. Follow your dreams. And never be afraid to pursue what truly moves you. ✨

05/28/2026

Leadership becomes even more powerful when it’s personal.

During our fireside chat, Senator Jon Ossoff spoke about how being a husband and father shapes the way he approaches leadership, service, and advocacy. Having young children of his own has deepened his sense of responsibility and strengthened his commitment to pursuing meaningful change with greater passion and urgency.

Whether it’s fighting for accountability, investigating systems that impact vulnerable children, or advocating for a better future, he shared how personal experiences can fuel purpose-driven leadership and inspire people to lead with both empathy and action.

The most impactful leaders don’t separate life from service — they allow their experiences, values, and humanity to guide the work they do for others. 🖤

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800 Battery Ave, SE
Atlanta, GA
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