A University of Georgia-designed leadership program in middle Georgia continues to leave an impression on one program graduate, years after attending.

Boyd Elrod graduated from the 2019 Middle Georgia Regional Leadership Champions program, developed by the UGA J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development in partnership with the Middle Georgia Regional Commission.

The Middle Georgia Regional Leadership Champions program supports leadership development in communities in and around Macon (Pictured here)

“When I am engaged in leadership positions, I keep falling back on principles I learned during the sessions to evaluate all sides and see the greater good,” Elrod said. “I am analytical and introspective, and the program opened my eyes to see how I could key in on those traits and sharpen them to make myself a more effective leader and communicator.”

Those skills have served Elrod both in his career in information technology and in community service.

“Something that really stuck with me was the idea we listen, we process, and we reflect,” Elrod said. “It makes sure that we have all the information before making a decision. That transcends not only in my professional aspects of what I do, but in my personal life as well.”

Launched in 2015, the Middle Georgia Regional Leadership Champions program brings together leaders from the government, education, nonprofit and business sectors to develop their leadership skills and become more engaged in the 11-county middle Georgia region.

A 2021 report from the Fanning Institute showed that 100% of participants surveyed said they were equipped to make the middle Georgia region better after completing the program.

“The program helps broaden your mindset,” Elrod said. “It is about the region, not just one county or another. It made me think outside of the box. We all face similar challenges and if one community found a way to address something, we should share those resources across the region to help everybody.”

Thinking beyond community boundaries represents a key priority of the UGA Fanning Institute’s regional leadership programs, which combine leadership skills training in areas such as communication, decision-making and conflict management with awareness of regional resources and issues.

“Especially in rural areas, communities on their own may have limited resources to take advantage of opportunities or solve a particular problem,” said Brittany Adams-Pope, UGA Fanning Institute public service faculty member. “Developing people’s leadership skills in a regional context allows leaders in neighboring communities to work together and generate an even greater positive impact.”

The program in middle Georgia has garnered national attention.

The National Association of Development Organizations recognized the program with the Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award in 2022. This award recognizes projects that have advanced regional economic development and improved quality of life and made significant impacts on their regions.

“We are very proud of the partnership with the UGA Fanning Institute and the way in which this program has impacted individuals and the region as a whole,” said Laura Mathis, executive director of the Middle Georgia Regional Commission upon receiving the award. “Collaborations such as this help generate progress on a regional level, and the program fosters those while increasing regional awareness and understanding.”

More than 150 people have completed the Middle Georgia Regional Leadership Champions program.

“I just have high grades for the program,” Elrod said. “I wish that more people would take advantage of leadership development opportunities like this one. This program really had an impact on me, and I think others would be impacted as well.”

For more information on the UGA Fanning Institute’s regional leadership programs, click here.

Writer: Charlie Bauder, charlie.bauder@fanning.uga.edu

Working with the University of Georgia, the east Georgia community of Thomson-McDuffie County continues to focus on building its next generation of leaders.

Participants work together during the Thomson-McDuffie Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy (Photo: Charlie Bauder/UGA J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development)

The UGA J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, working with the Thomson-McDuffie Chamber of Commerce, will kick off the newest class of Leadership McDuffie, the community’s broad-based adult leadership program, in September.

Thomson-McDuffie County identified leadership development as a priority when it became a UGA Archway Partnership™ community in 2017. Since then, the UGA Fanning Institute has helped the community develop three unique leadership programs.

“For communities to remain vibrant, they must support and develop the next generation of community leaders and decision-makers,” said Don Powers, president and CEO of Forward McDuffie and chairman of the Thomson-McDuffie Archway Partnership Executive Committee. “Our leadership programming plays a key role in doing that here in Thomson.”

First, the Thomson-McDuffie Chamber of Commerce updated Leadership McDuffie, the community’s broad-based adult leadership program, in 2020 utilizing the UGA Fanning Institute’s adult Community Leadership Program curriculum.

Through the program, participants hone leadership skills such as collaboration and communication while learning more about their community and connecting with peers, then put those skills into action through a community service project.

Meanwhile, community service projects provide the opportunity for Leadership McDuffie classes to use the new leadership skills to benefit others.

For example, the 2022 Leadership McDuffie class organized a community resource and wellness event designed to support caregivers and families.

“At the very start of the program, we identified our leadership styles and strengths and learned those of our classmates,” said Elizabeth Brown, resident services director of the East Georgia Housing Authority and 2022 Leadership McDuffie graduate. “In organizing the event, we were able to put people in the right roles based on our strengths and their personalities and that helped us effectively coordinate resources to create a meaningful and well-organized event.”

The program enabled class members to understand and draw on each other’s strengths, skills that carry over.

“At the East Georgia Housing Authority, we serve nearly 1,000 residents in four counties and we have to collaborate with the public sector and nonprofit organizations to provide our residents with resources,” Brown said. “Learning about building effective community partnerships is something that I put to use every day.”

After successfully revamping Leadership McDuffie, community leaders realized the need to continue engaging these emerging leaders.

The result was the creation of the McDuffie High Potential Leaders program in 2021, again utilizing the UGA Fanning Institute.

“The UGA Fanning Institute’s programs took the leadership topics I had learned previously and put them into the lens of my community,” said David Russell, who graduated from the first High Potential Leaders class after completing Leadership McDuffie in 2020. “Rather than looking at companies or case studies, we took those principles and applied them to McDuffie County and how they might work here.”

The networks he developed through both programs helped Russell become more involved in the community.

“Leadership McDuffie exposed me more to the Chamber of Commerce,” Russell said. “I had been involved in work groups previously, but I have been kind of taking steps forward and these experiences solidified that for me and positioned me to serve more with the chamber.”

Despite two successful adult leadership programs, Thomson-McDuffie County still felt as if there were more ways in which the community could support emerging leaders.

Targeting the business community, the UGA Fanning Institute and UGA Small Business Development Center (SBDC) partnered with Forward McDuffie to launch the Thomson-McDuffie Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy in 2022.

“Through this program, UGA gave me a blueprint for how to successfully run a business, move it forward, and lead my team,” said Freddie Gavin, the owner of The Music Cave, a multimedia business in McDuffie County.

Gavin also learned skills for effectively managing and leading his team and employees, he said.

In addition, the UGA Augusta SBDC office provided training in areas such as developing a business plan, finance and marketing.

“That has helped me refine my business concept and develop a plan to pursue funding opportunities to build my business,” Gavin said.

All three leadership programs are set to continue in Thomson-McDuffie County.

Leadership development is just one way that UGA has supported Thomson-McDuffie County, which was the first Georgia community to earn the university’s Connected Resilient Community designation. Other projects have focused on downtown development with support from the UGA Institute of Government Renaissance Strategic Visioning and Planning Process (RSVP), infrastructure improvements with support from the UGA College of Engineering, and recreation and tourism with support from the UGA College of Environment and Design.

“From filling our leadership pipeline to developing tourism and infrastructure, we have programs in place and are way ahead of where we were six years ago when started working with UGA,” Powers said.

Writer: Charlie Bauder; 706-542-7039; charlie.bauder@fanning.uga.edu

The University of Georgia will provide support to eight programs around the state through the fourth year of an annual leadership initiative.

This week, the UGA J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development announced the eight recipients of the 2023 Innovations in Community Leadership Initiative.

Launched in 2020 by the UGA Fanning Institute, the Innovations in Community Leadership Initiative provides technical expertise and resources to support communities and organizations in starting or enhancing leadership development programming.

This year’s recipients are:

• Adel-Cook County Chamber of Commerce and Berrien County Chamber of Commerce – build and deliver Phase Two of Leadership in Neighboring Communities, a multi-county adult leadership program
• Atlanta Continuum of Care/Partners for Home – develop a leadership program for individuals with lived experience of housing insecurity to lead systems transformation in their local community
• Baxley-Appling County Chamber of Commerce – develop Youth Leadership Appling, a youth leadership program in Appling County
• Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce – update and enhance programming in Leadership Glynn, the county’s adult leadership program
• Burke County Chamber of Commerce – develop a youth leadership program in Burke County
• Cordele-Crisp Chamber of Commerce – implement curriculum and resources around inclusive leadership as well as multigenerational leadership to Leadership Crisp, the county’s adult leadership program
• Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Chamber of Commerce – develop and implement Fitz Leads, a new adult community leadership program for Ben Hill County
• Washington County Chamber of Commerce – revamp and update Washington County’s adult leadership program, Washington LEADS

“We currently do not have a leadership program to equip emerging leaders from any walk of life with the resources they need to be effective community leaders,” said Melissa Dark, president and CEO of the Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Chamber of Commerce. “With UGA’s help, we envision each class of Fitz Leads including a diverse group of emerging leaders with a shared desire to build a brighter community that could serve as a model for other rural communities.”

In its first three years, the UGA Fanning Institute has worked with 21 organizations across 23 counties through the Innovations in Community Leadership Initiative to both develop and revitalize community-based leadership programs for all ages and help nonprofit organizations develop leadership programming for staff and clientele.

Recipients of the Innovations in Community Leadership Initiative are expected to develop and implement a sustainable, multi-year leadership development program utilizing the tools and resources supplied by UGA Fanning Institute faculty and staff.

“Encouraging and preparing current and future leaders of all ages to engage meaningfully in their communities is vital to a community’s success,” said Matt Bishop, director of the UGA Fanning Institute. “This year’s recipients demonstrate a commitment to that belief and a plan to expand leadership development within their community’s framework. We look forward to supporting those efforts.”

Final program planning on this year’s projects is currently underway and work on this year’s projects will begin starting this fall.

The UGA Fanning Institute will begin accepting applications for the next round of the Innovations in Community Leadership Initiative in early 2024.

For more information on the UGA Fanning Institute’s Innovations in Community Leadership Initiative, click here.

Writer: Charlie Bauder; 706-542-7039; charlie.bauder@fanning.uga.edu
Contact: Brittany Adams-Pope; 706-542-7044; brittany.adams-pope@fanning.uga.edu

Freddie Gavin had the dream of building out a multimedia recording studio in McDuffie County and, with the assistance of the University of Georgia, his dream is moving closer to reality.

Gavin is one of nine emerging entrepreneurs to graduate from the inaugural Thomson-McDuffie Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy. He is currently working to expand his multimedia business, The Music Cave, into a full-service recording studio in downtown Thomson.

“I had this idea, but I never knew what it took to make it happen,” Gavin said. “Through this program, UGA gave me a blueprint for how to successfully run a business, move it forward, and lead my team.”

The UGA J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development developed the program in partnership with the UGA Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for Thomson-McDuffie County, a UGA Archway Partnership community.

Brittany Adams-Pope, UGA Fanning Institute public service faculty, provided leadership training to help the entrepreneurs understand how to enhance their own leadership skills and recognize the strengths of those around them to effectively collaborate within a business.

“Sometimes, people do not have self-awareness of who they are as a leader,” Gavin said. “This program taught me so much about myself as a leader and how I relate as a leader to others. The leadership component is so critical to this program because it helps me build better relationships, which is crucial to running a business successfully.”

Gavin also learned skills for effectively managing and leading his team and employees, he said.

“I have learned how to step back to empower others as a leader,” Gavin said. “It is not about me, but about the business. I have built a team of knowledgeable and capable individuals, and this has shown me how important it is to trust the team I have in place.”

Meanwhile, the UGA Augusta SBDC office, led by Rick McMurtrey, area director, provided training in areas such as developing a business plan, finance and marketing.

“Rick is a saving grace,” Gavin said. “He has helped me take my idea and, with his practical experience, helped me set up projections and a plan that I can take to a bank to try and secure funding to build my business.”

Gavin hopes to soon secure funding to build his studio in downtown Thomson and is also planning to become involved with the Thomson-McDuffie Chamber of Commerce.

“This program not only supports small business development, but it engages emerging community leaders who may not have access to traditional leadership programs,” said Don Powers, president and CEO of Forward McDuffie and chairman of the Thomson-McDuffie Archway Partnership Executive Committee.

Forward McDuffie, an economic and community development organization, utilized the UGA Fanning Institute’s Innovations in Community Leadership Initiative to begin the entrepreneurial leadership academy.

The Innovations in Community Leadership Initiative, launched in 2020, provides technical assistance and resources to support communities and organizations in starting or enhancing leadership development programming.

“For communities to remain vibrant, they must support and develop the next generation of community leaders and decision-makers,” Powers said. “Along with our other leadership programming, the entrepreneurial leadership academy plays a key role in doing that here in Thomson.”

Leadership development is just one way that UGA has supported Thomson-McDuffie County. An Archway Partnership community since 2017, Thomson-McDuffie County was the first Georgia community to earn the university’s Connected Resilient Community designation.

Through the Renaissance Strategic Visioning and Planning Process (RSVP), led by the UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government, Thomson developed a downtown strategic plan. Meanwhile, McDuffie County is also developing a plan to grow tourism and recreational activities on the county portion of Clarks Hill Lake with faculty and student support from the UGA College of Environment and Design and a plan for infrastructure improvements with support from the UGA College of Engineering.

“From filling our leadership pipeline to developing tourism and infrastructure, we have programs in place and are way ahead of where we were six years ago when started working with UGA through Archway,” Powers said.

As for Gavin, he encouraged anyone to take advantage of the resources available through UGA.

“I would encourage anyone to take advantage of a program like the entrepreneurial leadership academy or any of the resources available through UGA,” Gavin said. “They have been so beneficial to me and I know they would help others too.”

Writer: Charlie Bauder; 706-542-7039; charlie.bauder@fanning.uga.edu
Contact: Brittany Adams-Pope; 706-542-7044; brittany.adams-pope@fanning.uga.edu

Created in 2015 as a partnership between the Middle Georgia Regional Commission and the University of Georgia J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, a unit of UGA Public Service and Outreach, the Middle Georgia Regional Leadership Champions program has set out to build a network of people with the leadership skills and understanding to collaborate across geographic regions to strengthen communities throughout Middle Georgia.

As a participant in the 2020 Middle Georgia Regional Leadership Champions program, Jonathan Pitts and his classmates learned how economic challenges impact the 11 counties surrounding Macon. that make up the Middle Georgia Regional Commission.

“Several of us felt like we had an opportunity to do something on a regional level to try and tackle this issue,” said Pitts, a Jones County resident who chairs the JACOR Foundation, which is focused on expanding financial literacy education and access. “We decided to start a financial literacy program for youth.”

In the 2021-22 school year, Pitts and others worked with the Jones County School System to introduce a financial literacy seminar series, reaching 45 students with information on topics such as banking, real estate, insurance, accounting and financial planning.

“The class proved very beneficial,” said Laura Rackley, executive director of human resources for the Jones County School System. “It makes an impact when students can engage directly with professionals working in finance, and those representatives can help our students learn good financial habits early. We even had a couple of students that considered pursuing different careers after hearing the information.”

Attending the UGA leadership program played a key role in bringing this to fruition, Pitts said.

“The Middle Georgia Regional Leadership Champions program gave me a chance to connect and collaborate with others around the region with a common interest in enhancing our communities, as well as enhance my leadership skills and community engagement,” Pitts said. “It is an amazing program and a win-win for the region to work in partnership with UGA.”

“Especially with such a large employer like Warner Robins Air Force Base, we find that what happens in one community affects neighboring counties and vice versa,” said Laura Mathis, executive director for the Middle Georgia Regional Commission. “Looking at that, we wanted to invest in leadership development that prioritized collaboration across county boundaries to help neighboring communities benefit from one another, rather than working in isolation.”

The UGA program combines discussion on regional issues such as housing, health care, and economic opportunity with leadership skills development.

“In designing this curriculum, we focus on skills particularly applicable in the context of regionalism, such as adaptive leadership, collaboration, and how to lead through change,” said Brittany Adams-Pope, UGA Fanning Institute public service faculty member.

Since its creation, more than 130 individuals representing all 11 counties in the Middle Georgia Regional Commission have completed the program, and 100 percent of participants said the program prepared them to make the region better.

Completing its sixth class this past fall, the leadership program is garnering national attention.

The National Association of Development Organizations recognized the Champions program with the 2022 Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award. This award recognizes projects that have advanced regional economic development and improved quality of life and made significant impacts on their regions.

“We are very proud of the partnership with the UGA Fanning Institute and the way in which this program has impacted individuals and the region as a whole,” Mathis said. “Collaborations such as this help generate progress on a regional level, and the program fosters those while increasing regional awareness and understanding.”

Jones County has expanded the financial literacy program into its 12th-grade economics course, reaching all seniors, Rackley said.

After the financial literacy program’s first year, which also included a financial literacy essay contest and reaching out to parents about the importance of starting college savings accounts for their children, Pitts aims to continue to grow the program.

“I am hoping that I can show others what has happened in Jones County and give them a template that they can use in their respective counties,” he said.

For more information on the UGA Fanning Institute’s regional leadership programming, click here.

Writer: Charlie Bauder; 706-542-7039; charlie.bauder@fanning.uga.edu
Contact: Brittany Adams-Pope; 706-542-7044; brittany.adams-pope@fanning.uga.edu