|
Dr. Thomas D. Boston joined the Georgia Tech faculty in 1985 and has since blazed a trail to become the national authority on economic issues related to minorities, minority businesses, and community development. In 2001 Boston created the Gazelle Index, a national quarterly survey of 350 CEOs of the nation’s fastest-growing African American-owned businesses. Recently, the Kauffman Foundation awarded Boston a grant to resume the Gazelle Index. As part of this grant, he will write about the previous findings in a new book and start a new round of surveys.
Boston consults extensively with international and national organizations including ING Financial Services; the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization; the U.S. Small Business Administration; and the U.S. Department of Commerce. He is the 2006 recipient of the Ivan Allen College Legacy Award.
City of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin appointed Boston to her current Council of Economic Advisors, and he has served on committees under other Atlanta mayors as well. Boston has also been appointed by multiple Georgia governors to serve on state committees examining such important issues as the state tax structure and the state welfare system.
In recent years, many of his academic writings, from journal articles to book chapters, have focused on the role of black-owned businesses in black community developments and the effects of revitalization on public housing residents. His research is funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and many others. Recent books include Leading Issues in Black Political Economy (2002) and Affirmative Action and Black Entrepreneurship (1999).
In addition, Boston is frequently quoted in the media, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Black Enterprise magazine, Detroit Free Press, San Francisco Chronicle, Business Week On-Line, and USA Today.
Boston is a Vietnam veteran and recipient of the Purple Heart. | 