Why would an insurance company based in Seattle donate $335,000 in grants to five Atlanta-based community organizations?

The answer is simple: Paula Rosput Reynolds.

MARIA SAPORTA • E-mail Saporta Recent columns

Reynolds is now the chief executive of Seattle-based Safeco. But before she took that job, she was CEO of AGL Resources and one of the top business leaders in Georgia. She was involved in a host of civic organizations, including Metro Atlanta's United Way, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

Apparently she hasn't forgotten her ties to Atlanta.

"Safeco has a modest presence in the Georgia market," Reynolds responded in an e-mail. "But obviously, given my attachment to the state, I hope we will grow there. We are just starting to build the bridges in the state."

For example, Safeco has just become a cornerstone member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, which means the company is paying $10,500 a year to the organization.

And that is not part of Safeco's philanthropic gifts in the community.

The five civic groups benefiting from Safeco's generosity:

• Georgia Aquarium: $100,000. The funds will support the educational programs of the aquarium.

• Tubman African American Museum: $100,000. The funds will go toward the museum's $8.5 million capital campaign.

• Metro Atlanta YMCA: $50,000. The gift will go to helping low-income families in the Clarkston community, which is part of the Decatur-DeKalb branch of the YMCA.

• 100 Black Men of America: $50,000. The funds will support Project Success, a program that provides mentoring and tuition assistance for Atlanta's at-risk youth.

• Hands On Atlanta: $35,000. The funds will go toward matching a $450,000 grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation to support Hands on Atlanta's Summer Youth Fellows Program.

Reynolds is not just helping metro Atlanta. Shortly after she joined Safeco more than two years ago, she helped the insurance company establish a philanthropic foundation.

"We established the foundation in 2006 and have, through the course of two years, established a $90 million corpus," Reynolds said. "We hired a foundation president, Virginia Anderson, and charged her with the task of setting forth a national giving strategy."

As the number of Safeco agents increases in Georgia, Reynolds said they will influence the company's charitable contributions in the state in coming years.

Meanwhile, Reynolds has other ties to Atlanta. She continues to serve on the boards of Coca-Cola Enterprises and Delta Air Lines. But she wouldn't give us any insights on the likely Delta-Northwest merger.

Attorney to lead school for girls

The Atlanta Girls' School dipped into the private sector to appoint its new head of the school.

Pinney Allen, a prominent Atlanta attorney who has been with Alston & Bird since 1978, will take the job in July.

Allen chaired the firm's executive committee, managed its tax services area and has been the most senior woman at the law firm.

Allen will succeed Joan Countryman, who has been serving as the school's interim head.

"It is a big switch," Allen said of her move as an attorney in corporate mergers and acquisitions to running a single-gender sixth-to-12th-grade school with 180 students.

"I have been interested in education and been involved in issues around women and girls for a long time. This ties the various strands in my life together."

As an example of her dedication to women's issues, Allen currently chairs the board of the Atlanta Women's Foundation, a two-year term ending in July 2009.

In her new role, Allen has a goal of doubling the number of students attending the school and expanding its facilities to have more extracurricular activities. The school opened in August 2000 and is located at 3254 Northside Parkway near the Atlanta Speech School.

At 54, Allen said she had limited opportunities "to do something new and give something back to the community. It's an opportunity to touch a new generation."

Powerful women share some advice

Three strong women recently shared some lessons they have learned during a "Power of Collaboration" fireside chat put on by the Pace Cetters Club, a group of administrative and business professionals that's been meeting for decades.

Some of the advice the women shared:

Liane Levetan, former CEO of DeKalb County: "We have got to be more assertive."

Juanita Baranco, co-owner of Baranco Automotive, said of men: "They really don't know any more than we do. Women have to be more confident."

Verna Cleveland, chair of the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign in Georgia, said of women trying to raise a family and be part of the work force: "Women have to get over the guilt."

Levetan: "Women have to get to the top of the mountain," she said while urging folks to support Clinton. "We have to be a catalyst for change. We have a responsibility to see that the best-qualified person leads this country."

Baranco: "Don't be afraid to make a decision. Take responsibility."

Levetan: "I believe in accountability. I think women are more accountable. We are far more scrutinized than men."

Baranco: "The most successful people in the world get over making a mistake very quickly." She also borrowed a quote from former President John F. Kennedy: "Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate."