Sara Hand and Eric Larson, employees of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, have completed their responsibilities as a part of the 2020-2021 South GeorgiaLEADS (SGL) cohort.

Hand is the Assistant Director at ABAC’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture, and Larson is an assistant professor of rural sociology in the School of Arts and Sciences.

“The SGL program is built around providing opportunities for individuals across the area to come together and interact with one another, to build relationships of trust and respect,” said Larson.  “I am constantly looking for opportunities for my students to be engaged in communities where they can apply knowledge and develop skills introduced in my courses. I have developed several relationships that will likely provide such opportunities.”

Hand believes she is now more aware of what South Georgia offers to consumers.

“I have significantly increased my understanding of economic development, broadened my awareness about the many assets in South Georgia, and expanded my knowledge of how regionalism benefits the entire area,” said Hand.

Hand said the selection process to be a part of the program includes a detailed questionnaire about one’s knowledge of and experience in regional projects, as well as previous work on collaborative projects and professional accomplishments. Participants are selected from applicants in a 21-county region in South Georgia.

“It is a competitive program, and I was lucky enough to be selected,” Larson said.  “I wanted to be a part of the program because I believe in building strong sustainable communities. A part of that is working together and building networks of leaders to promote the social, political, and economic interests of South Georgia communities.”

Hand found that pooling resources helps all of South Georgia.

“Utilizing a regional approach allows South Georgia communities to pool our collective resources to attract new business, develop innovative solutions to shared issues, and influence legislative affairs affecting our region,” said Hand. 

“My community might not get the next opportunity, the next factory, the next business… just as long as another community in the region gets it,” Larson said.  “If they do, then it is a success.  That was a theme throughout the sessions.”