ATLANTA, GA, December 22, 2025— The nsoro Educational Foundation announces its 2026 Starfish Ball: Illuminating Futures, to be held on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at the St. Regis Atlanta. This annual celebration will recognize two extraordinary honorees whose leadership and legacy have created lasting, generational impact: Juanita Powell Baranco, Executive Vice President and COO of Baranco Automotive Group and Reginald B. McKnight, Global Head of Community Engagement & Workforce Development at Google.
“Juanita P. Baranco and Reginald B. McKnight exemplify visionary, values-driven, leadership, deeply rooted in community. Their influence has shaped industries, elevated lives, and expanded the boundaries of what’s possible. Each, in their own sphere, has modeled what it means to lead with clarity, purpose, and deep belief in the promise of people.
It’s a privilege to honor two individuals whose work so clearly aligns with our mission to create pathways to independence, higher education, and legacy for our youth aging out of foster care.” said Darrell Mays, nsoro Chairman and Founder.
Juanita Powell Baranco
Juanita Powell Baranco is a visionary leader whose life’s work stands among the most impactful in business, education, and civic stewardship in American history. As Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Baranco Automotive Group, she co-founded one of the nation’s most respected African American-owned automotive enterprises, built on a foundation of integrity, community partnership, and generational opportunity. Her commitment to education and equity is equally legendary. A former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia, Ms. Baranco has served with distinction in some of the most consequential leadership roles in public and higher education. She served as the chair of the Georgia State Board of Education. She was later appointed to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, where she made history as the first African-American woman Chair, stewarding policy and opportunity for thousands of students across the state. For two decades, she devoted her time to the Board of Trustees of Clark Atlanta University, including a decade as Board Chair— shaping institutional strategy, advancing academic excellence, and expanding access for students of every background.
Ms. Baranco’s influence extends deeply into civic life and corporate governance. She has served on the Board of Southern Company and was a director of Georgia Power Company, contributing strategic oversight to companies with significant impact on infrastructure, community investment, and workforce support across the Southeast. Her leadership has been recognized with some of the highest honors in business and philanthropy, including the Trumpet Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, Entrepreneur of the Year by the Atlanta Business League, the DECCA Award, the YWCA Women of Achievement Award, and induction as a Georgia Trustee—one of the state’s highest distinctions for service and legacy.
Throughout her career, Juanita Powell Baranco has broken down barriers and rewritten expectations, launching enterprises, reshaping institutions, advocating for educational opportunity, and holding steadfast to the principle that economic success and community advancement go hand in hand. Her life’s work resonates with nsoro’s mission of helping resilient young people move from vulnerability into stability, education, and generational impact. A steadfast benefactor long before she joined nsoro’s Board of Directors in 2023, Baranco has helped elevate the organization’s mission with her extraordinary vision, lending her voice, influence, and values-driven leadership to ensure every youth aging out of foster care can thrive.
Reginald B. McKnight
Reginald B. McKnight is a nationally recognized leader whose work exists at the powerful intersection of innovation, access, and economic transformation. As Global Head of Community Engagement and Workforce Development at Google, he leads strategy for equitable economic development, workforce creation, and place-based investment, working with governments, businesses, and nonprofits to ensure that the future of work includes all communities. His work reflects a singular vision: that technology’s impact must be both far-reaching and deeply inclusive.
Before joining Google, Reggie served as Head of U.S. Economic and Community Development at Facebook (Meta), where he architected one of the tech industry’s most ambitious investment portfolios in infrastructure, broadband access, and regional job creation. His leadership helped shape corporate commitments that reached beyond headlines and into lives, especially in underserved and historically excluded communities.
Before entering the technology sector, Reggie played a central role in BP’s Gulf Coast recovery strategy following the Deepwater Horizon crisis, leading legal, public affairs, and communications initiatives through one of the most complex corporate challenges in recent history. He began his career as a corporate attorney at WilmerHale and a federal law clerk, representing global clients through matters requiring both strategic counsel and policy navigation. A Mordecai Scholar at Duke Law and a Rhodes Scholar finalist from the University of Notre Dame, where he was also a standout Division I student-athlete, Reggie brings both intellectual rigor and lived experience to his work. Today, he serves on the advisory board of 8VC, a venture capital firm with over $9B under management, where he helps shape the future of purpose-driven investment.
Throughout his career, Reggie McKnight has championed the kind of investment that transforms systems and the kind of leadership that uplifts people. His alignment with nsoro is both philosophical and tangible: his support has opened doors, unlocking opportunity for the youth nsoro serves. His legacy is in what he leads and in who rises as a result.
About nsoro
Since its founding in 2005, The nsoro Educational Foundation has enabled 510 youth aging out of foster care to achieve independence and success by equipping them with the tools, education, and career pathways required to transition into adulthood with confidence, stability, and purpose. Delivering a continuum of holistic support combining college readiness, gap funding support, mentorship and coaching, workforce development, and apprenticeship and internship opportunities, nsoro provides its youth with the resources and essential wraparound services to attain their postsecondary credentials and gainful employment.
To support Starfish Ball 2026 or to learn more, visit https://Starfish2026.givesmart.com