Athens, Ga. – Ceasar C. Mitchell, president of the Atlanta City Council, will deliver the keynote address at the University of Georgia’s Black Faculty and Staff Organization’s 12th annual Founders Award Scholarship Luncheon Sept. 30.
“We’re really excited about Ceasar Mitchell speaking at the event,” said Cedric Miller, BFSO president. “He is a University of Georgia law school graduate who has been instrumental in the Atlanta Beltline Project and other initiatives that improve communities for the city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia.”
The luncheon will be held from noon until 1:30 p.m. in Mahler Hall at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education and will be followed by an opportunity for attendees to network.
Tickets are available for purchase until Sept. 26. Prices are $35 per ticket or $280 for a table of eight. Proceeds from the luncheon benefit BFSO’s scholarship program, which awards a $750 scholarship to a current undergraduate, graduate and professional student at UGA.
“We’re very excited about this year’s luncheon; we definitely think it will be one of the best,” Miller said. “Each year, the luncheon brings together deans, senior administrators, community leaders and the university president in a very nice setting that allows us to recognize students who are working diligently to give the best academically.”
Mitchell is the seventh president of the Atlanta City Council. He served two terms as a Citywide Post 1 council member from 2001 to 2009. As a public official, he has advocated for safer communities. He also has championed legislation to facilitate economic revitalization in underdeveloped areas by authoring measures to create four of the city’s 10 Tax Allocation Districts. He supported legislation for community input in the Atlanta Beltline Project, a comprehensive transportation and economic development project that includes public parks, multi-use trails and transit.
“Council President Mitchell has been working with some great organizations to convert blight areas into greenspace multi-facet communities, something that can be done in many neighborhoods and cities,” Miller said. “When inviting a keynote speaker, we look for individuals who are making a huge impact on the state of Georgia, and we feel he’s doing that.”
While a student in the UGA School of Law, Mitchell served on the International Law Journal and won a national moot court championship in constitutional law. He also is an honor graduate of Morehouse College with dual majors in economics and English.
BFSO has been working with the Georgia Small Business Development Center, a UGA public service and outreach unit, to host entrepreneurship programs for Athens residents. The group also has partnered with other organizations to foster leadership and community involvement.
Contact Mark Dawkins at mdawkins@uga.edu or 706-542-3632 to purchase tickets or tables for the luncheon.