The Southeast Georgia Leadership Forum is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2025 Emerging Leader Award will be LeAndrea Mkell, the Executive Director of Governmental Relations, Economic Development and Community Engagement at Savannah State University.

An active leader in the community, Mikell serves on the boards of several organizations, including Leadership Savannah, Employability, Chatham Savannah Citizens Advocacy, Future Minds Literacy and Adult Education, and Union Mission. Notably, she was the first African American to serve as President of the Georgia Jaycees.

Mikell was  recognized as the Ambassador of the Year by the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce in 2017, honored as a GenerationNEXT Rising Star of Business in 2018, and awarded Jaycee of the Year by the Georgia Jaycees in 2020. Additionally, she was featured as a member of the New Guard by Savannah Magazine in 2021 and included in Georgia Trend’s Top 40 Under 40 list in 2022. She is also a proud graduate of Leadership Savannah and Leadership Georgia.

The Emerging Leader Award is one of three awards presented at the Southeast Georgia Leadership Forum to be held March 3-4, 2025 at Kehoe Iron Works at Trustees Garden.  In addition to Mikell, it was announced earlier this month that Dr. Paul Pressly will receive the Legacy Leadership Award and local business leader, David Paddison, will be recognized with the Leadership Award.

The two-day event will bring established and emerging leaders together in an innovative environment promoting leadership development, networking and collaborative teamwork for the betterment of our growing Coastal Georgia region.

Past Forums have had over 400 attendees each year, including a wide array of diverse leaders from civic groups, non-profits, neighborhoods, government, and business.  Cost for the 2025 Forum is $490 and includes access to all speaker presentations/regional tours, lunch each day, morning coffee/afternoon beverage/snack bars, and invitations to additional special events being held during the forum.  

Major sponsors of the Forum include Georgia Southern University, Georgia Power, Georgia Ports, Morris Multimedia, and Gulfstream Aerospace.

Tickets may be purchased online at: https://southeastleadershipforum.com/tickets.

For more information about the 2025 awardees or general Forum information,  please visit https://southeastleadershipforum.com.