ATLANTA, GA. (May 4, 2023) – The Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG or Georgia’s County Association) recently awarded county officials with certificates for completing core requirements in the ACCG Lifelong Learning Academy. Monroe County District 1 Commissioner Lamarcus Davis was honored during the Association’s 2023 Annual Conference at the Savannah Convention Center in Chatham County.
“Lifelong learning is an essential component of our association,” said Dave Wills, ACCG’s Executive Director. “Through our partnership with CVIOG, we offer a myriad of training and development opportunities to help county officials face the ever-evolving challenges of local government. I commend leaders such as Commissioner Davis for their commitment to further their knowledge on how to best serve their communities.”
The Lifelong Learning Academy is a product of the longstanding partnership between ACCG and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia (CVIOG). Created with input from county commissioners who identified courses based on the issues and decision-making challenges regularly faced by county officials, it is a unique adult education program that provides county officials with a tailor-made learning experience to assist them with governing at the local level. To ensure the course requirements and curriculum remain relevant and engaging, the ACCG Lifelong Learning Committee – comprised of county commissioners and staff from both ACCG and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia – meet regularly to review and adjust accordingly. Through this collaborative approach, the Lifelong Learning Academy has been successful in equipping county officials with the necessary skills to meet the needs of their constituents.
“The Lifelong Learning Academy taught me how to be the servant leader that I want to be,” said Commissioner Davis. “I learned how to look at things differently, evaluate things differently and got to see how other counties do things. The Academy also taught me a lot about myself and who I am, while also allowing me to form the leadership style that I want to use to lead Monroe County. I’ve learned you have be a great follower to be a great leader. The program had very talented instructors on leadership and economic development as well as conflict resolution.”
Davis has served as Monroe County District 1 Commissioner since January 2021.
Pictured from left to right: Mara Shaw, Governmental Training, Education, and Development Associate Director of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia; Rob Gordon, Director of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia; Lamarcus Davis, Monroe County Commissioner; Melissa Hughes, ACCG Immediate Past President & Tift County Commissioner; and Henry Craig, ACCG President & Baldwin County Commissioner.
