Juanita Baranco
Juanita Baranco | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 19, 1949 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Business executive, attorney |
| Known for | Executive vice president and COO of Baranco Automotive Group; first African American woman chair of Georgia Board of Regents |
Juanita Baranco (born March 19, 1949) is a distinguished American business leader recognized for overcoming racial and gender obstacles in Georgia.
Biography
Juanita Powell Baranco entered the world in Washington, D.C. and was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. She completed her secondary education before pursuing higher studies, earning both a Bachelor of Science and a Juris Doctor degree from Louisiana State University. Prior to her tenure as assistant attorney general for Georgia, she built a successful legal career. Baranco holds the positions of executive vice president and chief operating officer at Baranco Automotive Group, a company she established alongside her husband, Gregory Baranco, in 1978. This enterprise was among the earliest car dealerships owned by African American entrepreneurs in the Atlanta metropolitan region. The economic downturn of the 1980s posed a significant threat to their business survival, but they managed to endure the recession. Their perseverance enabled expansion into additional dealerships, including Mercedes-Benz of Buckhead and various Acura locations. Throughout her leadership at the dealership, Baranco confronted challenges related to gender bias and discrimination.
Baranco’s commitment to education is evident through her roles as chairperson of the DeKalb County Education Task Force and as a member of the Georgia State Board of Education from 1985 until 1991. Governor Zell Miller appointed her to the Board of Regents, where in 1995 she became the first African American woman to serve as chair. She currently chairs the Board of Trustees at Clark Atlanta University and sits on the Board of Directors for Georgia Power Company. During her leadership on Georgia’s Board of Regents, she stood against efforts to eliminate educational initiatives that incorporated race-conscious policies and affirmative action. Her tenure on the board earned her a reputation as a pragmatic and decisive leader.
Her achievements have been recognized by induction into the Georgia State University Business Hall of Fame.
Baranco’s entrepreneurial success and community involvement have garnered numerous accolades, including honors from the Dow Jones Company for outstanding entrepreneurship; Turner Broadcasting System’s inaugural Trumpet Award for entrepreneurial distinction; Atlanta Business League’s Entrepreneur of the Year; the DECCA Award from Atlantic Business Chronicle; YWCA’s Women of Achievement Award; and Atlanta History Center’s Defining Women in Atlanta honor. She has been profiled in Essence magazine as one of Atlanta’s premier businesswomen and was a finalist for Time magazine’s 2003 Quality Dealer Award. Baranco maintains professional memberships with the American Bar Association as well as the State Bar Associations of Georgia and Louisiana.
Additionally, she is affiliated with the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
In 2015, she was recognized among Georgia's 100 Most Influential Women.
Awards and honors
In 2021, Baranco received the distinction of Georgia Trustee, an honor bestowed by the Georgia Historical Society in partnership with the Office of the Governor of Georgia. This award acknowledges notable achievements and dedication to community service that embody the principles upheld by the original group of Trustees who administered the Georgia colony between 1732 and 1752.