Leadership Southeast Georgia has selected 28 participants from across the region for the LSEGA class of 2017.

They include seven from Liberty, Long and Bryan counties.

The five-month program is supposed to equip leaders to work promoting growth while improving the quality of life in Southeast Georgia.

Beginning in January 1999, leaders representing the business, government and education communities in 10 southeast Georgia counties set about the task of creating a regional strategic plan for community and economic development.

All of the participants live and work within Bryan, Bulloch, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh and Screven counties, which together are known as Georgia’s Coastal Region.

The members of the LSEGA Class of 2017 are:
Brad Brookshire, Ameris Bank (Bryan)
John Petrino, Georgia Ports Authority (Bryan)
Gary Sanchez, AT&T (Bryan)
Christy Sherman, Richmond Hill CVB (Bryan)
Chuck Moss, U.S. Army Garrison Fort, Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield (Liberty)
David Southerland, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield (Liberty)
Elise Stafford, Coastal Manor (Long)

“We have almost every county in the region represented, and they are a diverse group from various ages and experience,” said Lee Beckmann, a graduate of LSEGA’s class of 2013 and current vice chairman for the 2017 board of directors.

Beckmann is also the manager of governmental affairs with the Georgia Ports Authority.

“I look forward to working with this group and watching their ideas develop into meaningful projects for our region, he said.”

Participants were nominated by the alumni of the Leadership Southeast Georgia program and by community business leaders in the region. They will each spend one weekend a month in surrounding counties learning about topics that affect the region such as healthcare, education, economic development and transportation.

For more information, visit www.lsega.