Local leaders graduate from GAED

From left are Dennis Chastain of Georgia Electric Membership Corporation, Allyson Martin of Georgia EMC, DeLaine Quick, Keysville Mayor Maggie Cartwright, Leroy Daniels and John Perryman of Georgia Power.

The Board of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development (GAED) recently announced the local graduates from the YEAR Region 7 Multi- Day Training Program.

Burke County graduates at the May 15 ceremony included Maggie Cartwright, City of Keysville; Leroy Daniels, City of Keysville; and DeLaine Quick, USDA Rural Development.

Class participants from 11 counties in the CSRA represented a number of professional and non-professional economic development fields, including elected officials, public servants, business leaders, educators and social service providers. The Academy provided each of the graduates an opportunity to gain understanding of the complexities of economic and community development on the local, regional and state levels.

"One of the goals for the multi-day regional Academies is to encourage multi-county cooperation," says Saralyn Stafford, Executive Director of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development. "Many times the participants discover the issues facing their community are the same as those facing other communities in their region, and can then combine limited resources to address the issue."

Georgia EMC and Georgia Power provide facilitators for the program, and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs provides staff support. Financial support for the regional leadership training program is provided through the Leadership Infrastructure Investment Fund set up by the General Assembly, which allows the program to be offered at an affordable cost to all participants, with scholarship funding provided through the OneGeorgia Authority for those with demonstrated need for this assistance.

The Academy's multi-day program, taught in five days over a four-month period, includes training in the basics of economic and community development, plus specialized segments on entrepreneur and small business support, tourism product development, downtown development, quality planning and other essentials for community success.

In addition, the curriculum features specific leadership skills such as consensus building, team work, ethics in public service, building diverse teams and other segments needed for effective community leadership in economic development.

Local elected officials receive certification training credits through the Association County Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Municipal Association for completion of this program, and the program is certified for 3.5 CEUs through the UGA Georgia Center for Continuing Education.

The next Region 7 Georgia Academy for Economic Development will begin February 2008. For more information, contact Tina Hutcheson, DCA Region 7 Representative, at 478- 469-3751 or by email, thutches@dca.state.ga.us.