ATLANTA — May 4, 2022 – Today the HUB404 Conservancy board named Anthony Rodriguez as the nonprofit organization’s first executive director. In this role, he will direct the next phases of funding, planning and development for the award-winning project, leveraging his decades of experience in nonprofit leadership and community service.
Rodriguez previously co-founded and served as president, CEO and producing artistic director of the Aurora Theatre, the second-largest nonprofit professional theatre production company in Georgia. During his tenure, Aurora Theatre grew from a startup with one employee and a $50,000 annual budget to a professional company with nearly 30 employees and a $4.2 million annual budget. Rodriguez also serves on the boards for the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and assists the Atlanta Regional Commission and National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures.
“I’m honored to get the opportunity to lead this innovative and transformative project,” said Anthony Rodriguez. “The vision for HUB404 is ambitious, but it is exactly what is needed to bring urban sustainability and economic development together in the heart of Buckhead. I look forward to working with the Conservancy board to make the vision a reality.”
Envisioned as the Park over GA400, HUB404 is a half-mile greenspace and gathering place in Buckhead which will create an innovative nine-acre “cap park” atop the highway. Established by the Buckhead Community Improvement District (CID), it will add a direct connection to MARTA’s Buckhead rail station and transform Buckhead by allowing civic life to flourish and encouraging economic growth.
“We’re thrilled to have Anthony join the HUB404 Conservancy team,” said Jim Durrett, executive director of the Buckhead CID. “Through his leadership and experience, he will ensure that HUB404 will add accessible public greenspace in Buckhead’s commercial core – a necessity which is critical to create a connected, sustainable and walkable community.”
Joining as executive director, Rodriguez will have the support from a highly capable board with members from a variety of backgrounds in both the public and private sectors.
“Bringing this park to life will depend on funding and partnership from a range of public and private sources,” interim chair of the HUB404 Conservancy Court Thomas said. “Anthony’s experience makes him well suited to secure the support needed for a project of this scale and turn it into a reality.”
A graduate of the University of Georgia, Rodriguez has garnered many awards and accolades during his professional career including being named one of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 50 Most Influential Latinos in Georgia as well as making regular appearances in Atlanta Magazine’s Atlanta 500. Rodriguez also led Aurora Theatre to earn Atlanta Magazine’s Best Inclusive Programming honor and Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce’s Moxie Award for Outstanding Organization.
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About HUB404 Conservancy
The HUB404 Conservancy is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established to build private-sector support for the creation and operation of HUB404. After construction of HUB404, the Conservancy will be responsible for operations, maintenance, and programming of the park. For more information about HUB404, visit www.hub404.org.
About Buckhead CID
The objective of the Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID), working with the City of Atlanta and its community partners, is to meet the challenges resulting from Buckhead’s rapid, primarily automobile-based growth, including improving safety, traffic mobility, enhancing the pedestrian environment, creating better access to public transit, initiating intra-district transportation alternatives, encouraging better integration of land uses and improving linkages to the region’s automobile, transit and bicycle networks. For more information about the Buckhead CID, visit www.buckheadcid.org.