Three from Catoosa County graduate from Georgia’s Academy for Economic Development
Three members of the Catoosa County community recently graduated from the Georgia Academy for Economic Development’s regional training program.
Class participants represented a number of professional and non-professional economic development fields, including elected officials, public servants, business leaders, educators, and social service providers from 13 counties in Northwest 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.
Of the program’s 38 graduates, three were from Catoosa County; city of Ringgold’s Main Street Director Jamie Klementisz, business owner Cindie Patty, and Catoosa County Economic Development Authority Coordinator Taylor Kielty.
“One of the goals for the multi-day 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 Academy’s multiday program, taught one day a month over a four-month period, includes training in the basics of economic and community development, plus specialized segments on business recruitment and retention, tourism product development, downtown development, planning, and other essentials for
community success.
In addition, the curriculum features specific leadership skills such as consensus building, ethics in public service, collaborative leadership and other segments needed for effective community leadership in economic development. Local elected officials may receive certification training credits through the Association County
Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Municipal Association for completion of this program.
The next Region 1 Georgia Academy for Economic Development will begin in February 2019. For more information, contact Patrick Vickers, DCA Regional Representative, at 404695-2093 or by email at patrick.vickers@dca. ga.gov.