Early Leads

This past month another Early County resident graduated from South GeorgiaLEADS. I was so proud to welcome DeWana Fields into the LEADS alumni family alongside Dr. Shanice Richardson. Last year, Shanice and I completed the program, networking and learning from community leadership throughout South Georgia. Many of the relationships built during the program are still strong and have proven to be beneficial on more than one occasion.

When applications opened last year, Shanice and I had already started talking about the folks in Early County we’d like to “talk into” participating. I’m fairly certain DeWana was the first person we both mentioned. It just made sense. There is no denying her leadership style and care for the community are as genuine as it gets.

For those who may not be as familiar with the program: South GeorgiaLEADS is a leadership immersion for citizens throughout South Georgia designed to facilitate awareness of issues that are essential to the future success of the region by giving participants the necessary skills and training needed to effectively lead South Georgia in the 21st Century economy.

Guided by the belief that leadership is key to a region’s economic success, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the J. W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development at the University of Georgia partnered in 2014 to create the regional leadership program. South GeorgiaLEADS is the result of that partnership—and the collaborative efforts by economic development professionals across the South Georgia region who understand the critical importance of investing in a new generation of leaders that can champion the region and its many assets; while working collectively towards creating effective solutions to address significant challenges related to workforce development, education, and economic growth throughout the region.

The overall purpose of LEADS is to create a more competitive South Georgia. Prior to our participation last year, Early County had never been represented within the program before. Going forward, it is very important to make sure our county is well represented at regional, state and national events with local leadership who will not only show up to “be seen”, but participate in conversations and networking that will connect and share our county’s assets with the rest of the region.

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the next cohort of the South Georgia LEADS class, let any of the three of us know and we’ll disperse the information to the public as soon as it is released. Typically, the program begins in August and ends in March.

I am also open to accepting “Waking Up Early” topics of discussion for future articles. You can email your suggestions to susanne.reynolds@earlycounty.org or (229) 366-1952. As always, I appreciate the community’s thoughts, suggestions and vision for moving Early forward.

Shared with permission from The Early County News.