6 from Hall County complete economic development program

Six Hall County residents graduated from the 2012 Region 2 Multi-Day Training Program offered by the Georgia Academy for Economic Development.

The graduates at the Nov. 7 ceremony included Ralph Taylor, Nancy Smallwood, Kelly Mathis Lee, Fred Richards, Krista Barker and Chris Davis.

Class participants represented a number of professional and nonprofessional economic development fields from 13 counties in North Georgia.

The Academy provided each of the graduates an opportunity to gain a unique understanding of the complexities of economic and community development on the local, regional and state levels.

Created in 1993 by Gov. Zell Miller’s Development Council, the Academy has provided training for thousands of professional and non-professional economic developers.

“One of the goals for the multiday regional academies is to encourage multicounty cooperation,” says Corinne Thornton, 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.”

The program, taught one day a month over a four-month period, includes training in the basics of economic and community development, plus specialized segments. In addition, the curriculum features specific leadership skills.
Local elected officials receive certification training credits through the Association County Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Municipal Association for completion of the program.

The next Region 2 Georgia Academy for Economic Development is scheduled for February. For more information, contact Kathy Papa at 770-362-7078 or Kathy.papa@dca.ga.gov.