General Information
COST: $1000 per student
TARGET AUDIENCE
Graduates of local leadership programs (or individuals with records of
community service) who are interested in increasing leadership roles within
their communities.
SELECTION PROCESS
The class is designed to accommodate a maximum of 20 participants.
Based on recommendations of Leadership Southeast Georgia alumni and community
leaders. Applicants are selected for past and current community service,
and dedication to "the greater good."
MISSION
Leadership Southeast Georgia introduces leaders from the counties within
Region 12, including Bulloch County, Effingham County, Screven County,
Chatham County, Liberty County, Long County, McIntosh County, Glynn County,
Camden County and Bryan County to the skills and knowldege necessary to
become successful leaders at the Regional and State level. Leadership development
is one of the most pressing and difficult challenges facing our Region
and State. Therefore, this program strives to identify leaders from each
county in Region 12 and introduce them to resourses and information related
to Region 12, as well as encourage the exchange of ideas that promote growth
and development in our Region. The program effectively builds on local
leadership programs. Through consideration of regional strengths and weaknesses,
participant leaders determine practical application of leadership skills
to real opportunities and threats that exist in Region 12. Evidence of
the program's success will be a coalition of leaders who demonstrate not
only a broader understanding of economic development issues in our Region
and State but also the ability to astutely guide our Region's growth in
the future.
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
During the sessions, participants will encounter educational outdoor activities,
lectures and discussions on leadership, economic development, environmental
issues, education, demographics, cultural diversity, teambuilding, community
development and more.
HISTORY
In 1998, the Georgia General Assembly created twelve "Service Delivery
Regions" in the state and directed the Departments of Community Affairs
and Industry, Trade and Tourism to forge a partnership to intensify community
and economic development efforts in each of the eleven rural regions. In
order to provide local guidance to these departments' efforts, then-Governor
Zell Miller also instructed the two departments' commissioners to appoint "Regional
Advisory Councils" to provide local advice concerning issues affecting
each region.
The counties of Coastal Georgia (Bulloch County, Effingham County, Screven County, Chatham County, Liberty County, Long County, McIntosh County, Glynn County, Camden County and Bryan County) are designated as "Region 12." Beginning in January 1999, our Regional Advisory Council set about the difficult task of creating a strategic plan for community and economic development for these nine counties. With members from the business community, local government, and education, the Council soon settled on leadership, workforce development and infrastructure as the three most vital areas of concern for Region 12.
The Leadership Subcommittee, chaired by Peggy Chapman, President of the Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce, envisioned a regional leadership program that would bring together citizens from each of the nine counties and focus their attention on the assets of the area, as well as potential threats to those assets. Convinced that skills are every bit as important as knowledge, the subcommittee insisted that the program provide an educational component meant to strengthen the abilities of each participant.
Just as vision without action is merely a dream, so is a plan without
funding merely a document. With a draft curriculum in hand, members of
the subcommittee approached Dr. Bruce Grube, President of Georgia Southern
University and Paul Radford, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Community
Affairs to enlist them as partners. Both organizations accepted the offer
and provided staff and funding to make Leadership Southeast Georgia become
a reality.