Twenty-five business and civic leaders from 10 southeast Georgia counties graduated from the 2019 session of Leadership Southeast Georgia (LSEGA), wrapping up with a session in Chatham County.

“We’ve put this group through the paces, with sessions that ranged from tours of the nuclear submarine base in St. Mary’s to a working farm outside of Statesboro,” said Lee Beckmann, a Georgia Ports Authority official who has served as chairman of the leadership group for the past two years. “We had professionally led sessions on essential topics such as leadership styles and communication. Still, the most important opportunity was that of getting to know classmates, and the most powerful message was the overall interconnectedness of our coastal communities.”

The five-month program, which is in its 20th year, is designed to connect and inspire engaged community leaders to improve the overall quality of life in Coastal Georgia.

The group’s schedule for 2019 included stops in Glynn, Bulloch, Camden, Bryan and Liberty counties before the final session in Chatham. Stops were chosen for their ability to give unique perspectives on key topics that included natural resources, education, agriculture, military impact, disaster preparedness and economic development.

The group’s fifth and final session included discussions of health and infrastructure, featuring tours of ongoing projects in Savannah, the Waters Professional Health Services Building on the Armstrong campus of Georgia Southern University, and the Georgia Ports Authority as well as Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.

They also heard a presentation on the Savannah Economic Development Authority and World Trade Center Savannah before hearing the keynote presentation from Lt. Col. Kenneth Dwyer, Hunter Army Airfield Garrison commander.

The class was then presented their graduation plaques.

The LSEGA graduating class of 2019 includes:

Laura Lee Bocade, DIRTT Environmental Solutions (Chatham) 

Stephanie Brown, Jekyll Island Authority (Camden) 

Leia Dedic, Savannah Economic Development Authority (Chatham) 

Dr. Robin K. Ellert, Department of the Army (Liberty) 

Chris Ellison, The Heritage Bank (Long) 

Justin Farquhar, Development Authority of Bryan County (Bryan) 

Jenny Gentry, JP Morgan Chase & Co. (Chatham) 

Emily Goldman, Georgia Ports Authority (Effingham) 

Gloria Goosby, Georgia Southern University (Bulloch) 

Allyson Harvin, SERVPRO of Savannah (Chatham) 

Staci Ignell, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (Chatham) 

Kimberly Iler, Coldwell Banker Commercial (Effingham) 

Will Johnson, Evans General Contractors (Chatham) 

Francesca Macchiaverna, HunterMaclean (Chatham) 

Dawn Malin, McIntosh County Industrial Development Authority (McIntosh) 

Ronald McGee, Comcast (Chatham) 

Tanya Milton, The Savannah Tribune (Chatham) 

DJ Roberson, Daniel Defense, Inc. (Effingham) 

Madison Roesel, The SACK Company (Bulloch) 

Matt Sawhill, Georgia Power – Southern Company (Bulloch) 

Ryan Sewell, Sterling Seacrest Partners (Chatham) 

Kevin Smith, P.E., Thomas & Hutton (Chatham) 

Ron Stalnaker, Georgia Southern University (Bulloch) 

Mark Stovall, SunTrust Bank (Glynn) 

Walter Strong III, The Strong Group / Alair Homes Savannah (Chatham)