Training and Leadership Development Reaches More than 500 at ACCG Annual Meeting
More than 500 county elected officials and others benefitted from the variety of courses available to enhance their professional and leadership development at the 2012 Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) Annual Meeting April 28-30 in Savannah.
The event kicked off on Saturday with a full day of continuing education opportunities coordinated by the Vinson Institute. Over the course of the Annual Meeting, commissioners, managers, and clerks participated in training on such fundamental topics as ethics, human resources, and tax policy. GIS specialist Jimmy Nolan from the Vinson Institute's Office of Information Technology Outreach Services delivered a presentation about ways in which county governments can implement technology solutions to achieve efficiencies and improve operations. Additionally, Chrissy Marlowe outlined the proposed changes to the comprehensive planning requirements for local governments and addressed participant questions.
During a featured Standard of Excellence session, Institute Director Laura Meadows, Murray Weed, and Gordon Maner explored how investments in leadership development and staff training help improve county government. Maner also addressed a key concern among local elected officials—how to build citizen engagement in communities—during a session for leadership alumni. Vinson Institute faculty and staff were also on hand Saturday and Sunday at the Institute's booth to meet county officials and talk about the current goings-on around the state.
The Vinson Institute and ACCG had the honor of presenting 103 elected officials with certificates in recognition of their commitment to lifelong learning. Sammie Wilson Sr., commissioner from McDuffie County, received the Platinum Standard of Excellence for having engaged in 220 hours of continuing education above the requirements for the Certified Commissioners Advanced Program (CCAP). Nine commissioners earned the Gold Standard of Excellence, marking 160 hours of continuing education beyond CCAP, and others were recognized for successfully completing the Silver Standard of Excellence, CCAP, and the Commissioners Training Program.
Spring 2012 Certificate Recipients
The Platinum Standard of Excellence
Sammie Wilson Sr., McDuffie County
The Gold Standard of Excellence
Reggie Loper, Effingham County
James Canady, Emanuel County
Desse Davis, Emanuel County
Sandi Allen, Heard County
June Jackson, Heard County
Larry Childs, Jones County
Mike Underwood, Jones County
Billy Webster, Putnam County
Gwen Flowers-Taylor, Spalding County
The Silver Standard of Excellence
Emily Davis, Baldwin County
Walter Gibson, Bulloch County
James Everett, Charlton County
James Swafford, Dawson County
C.T. Stafford, Decatur County
Tommy Lyon, Elbert County
Dwain Smith, Jackson County
Bert Liston, Jones County
Mike Underwood, Jones County
Stanley Thomas, Madison County
Frederick Favors, McDuffie County
B. Keith Jones, Mitchell County
Andrea Brooks, Sumter County
Robert Lanier, Talbot County
Sheryl Clark, Telfair County
Certified Commissioners Advanced Program (CCAP)
Jeff Christie, ACCG-UGA Extension
Lee Hagans, Bacon County
Parrish Barwick, Brantley County
Ronald Ham, Brantley County
Ray Mosley, Bulloch County
William Chappell, Carroll County
Ashley Hendrix, Carroll County
John F. Meyer, Charlton County
Robert Goff, Dade County
Frank Loeffler, Decatur County
Patrick Bell, Forsyth County
William Myers, Hart County
Wayne Davis, Jefferson County
David Richardson, Long County
Mickey George, Macon County
Michael Youngblood, Madison County
Emmitt Clark, Meriwether County
Tommie Graham, Paulding County
Mitchell Bowen, Pierce County
Douglas Mangham, Pike County
J. William Twomey, Sumter County
Stewart Mills, Troup County
Horace Daniel, Washington County
Jerry Wright, Wayne County
Terry Goodger, White County
Commissioners Training Program
Charles Parker, Appling County
Jasper Tomberlin, Appling County (posthumously)
Kenny Murphy, Bacon County
Danny Maxwell, Banks County
Chris Harris, Brantley County
Willie Cody, Brooks County
Joe Wingate, Brooks County
Alphya Benefield, Charlton County
Nancy Mikell, Clinch County
JoAnn Birrell, Cobb County
Debra Robinson, Cook County
Tim Lassetter, Coweta County
Clark Henderson, Crisp County
Ronnie Burgamy, Cusseta-Chattahoochee County
Ted Rumley, Dade County
Mitchell Smith, Dade County
Stan Watson, DeKalb County
Henry Mitchell, Douglas County
Phil Kieffer, Effingham County
Vera Jones, Effingham County
Steve Mason, Effingham County
Steve Brown, Fayette County
Jesse McCarty, Fayette County
Joan Garner, Fulton County
Mary Hunt, Glynn County
Richard Strickland, Glynn County
Clyde Taylor, Glynn County
T.D. David, Grady County
Billy Poitevint, Grady County
David Gibbs, Hall County
Charles Lutz, Hall County
Wanda Marchant, Jeff Davis County
Charles Glass, Lamar County
Nancy Thrash, Lamar County
Cooper Cliatt, Lincoln County
Arthur Robinson, Lincoln County
Crawford Powell, Lowndes County
Jimmy Haywood, Miller County
Lanier Sims, Newton County
Todd Pownall, Paulding County
Carl Boyette, Pierce County
Carol Bass, Pike County
Phillip Bentley, Polk County
Tom Garrison, Rabun County
William Lane, Seminole County
Harold Andrews, Stephens County
Hugh Brantley, Treutlen County
Tod Tentler, Troup County
Rusty Blackston, Upson County
Maurice Raines, Upson County
Lyn Holcomb, White County
Kerry McAvoy, Wilkes County
Clifford Slaton, Wilkes County
