VALDOSTA — South GeorgiaLEADS (SGL) continues to invest in South Georgia’s future success by identifying and developing leaders who understand and can speak to the unique challenges and opportunities that are collectively experienced throughout the region.

Ten years into the launch of the program, SGL has evolved its initiatives and efforts to respond to the region and its needs in real time, officials of the program said in a press release Monday.

South GeorgiaLEADS cultivates leadership in every corner of its 32-county footprint and beyond through its seminal program — the traditional South GeorgiaLEADS program, now referred to as SGL’s Regional Leadership Initiative (RLI) — as well as SGL 2.0, an intensive leadership experience for program alumni, and most recently, the South Georgia Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI), a program that features an emphasis on the leadership experience of the women who live, work and call South Georgia home.

Partnering with the University of Georgia J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development and Valdosta State University’s Center for South Georgia Regional Impact, SGL has built a strong foundation to support its efforts in the region.

With SGL’s two signature leadership programs ready to launch new classes in the fall, the Regional Leadership Initiative and the Women’s Leadership Initiative are both recruiting new participants.

South GeorgiaLEADS Chair Rob Collins shared his enthusiasm for running the two program simultaneously, “South GeorgiaLEADS is about building the capacity of the region through leadership development and skills training. We are excited to have the ability to offer the Regional program and the Women’s Initiative to interested applicants across South Georgia at the same time. Our new vision for leadership capacity in South Georgia over the next 10 years is about leveraging all of our programs together underneath one ‘South GeorgiaLEADS’ umbrella.”

Regional Leadership Initiative

RLI is the original flagship program of South GeorgiaLEADS and was started in 2014 by economic development professionals across the region who understand the critical importance of investing in a new generation of leaders, the press release said. RLI represents a leadership immersion for citizens throughout South Georgia designed to facilitate awareness of issues essential to the region’s future success by giving participants the skills and training needed to lead South Georgia in the 21st-century economy effectively.

Sessions take place monthly at locations around the region from August through March (except for December). Tuition is $1,500, with a limited number of scholarships available upon request during the application process. For more information on RLI and the 2024-2025 program schedule and topics, please visit www.southgeorgialeads.org/rli/. Applications are due by Friday, July 12, by close of business.

Women’s Leadership Initiative

Launched in 2023, the Women’s Leadership Initiative expands upon the programming of RLI, focusing on what is unique about the experience of women as leaders in South Georgia, the press release said. Offering women a space to speak freely, participants learn from peers and mentors across the region and enhance their individual leadership capacity to fulfill their hopes and desires for themselves and their communities.

WLI aims to push the region forward economically and civically by giving women an active voice and platform in the region.

Sessions take place monthly from September through March. Tuition is $1,200, with a limited number of scholarships available upon request during the application process.

For more information on WLI and the 2024-2025 program schedule and topics, please visit www.southgeorgialeads.org/sgwli/. Applications are due on Friday, July 19, by the close of business.

For more information about South GeorgiaLEADS, please visit their website at https://southgeorgialeads.org/. Interested applicants may also contact South GeorgiaLEADS Program Committee Chair Mary Beth Brownlee at (404) 227-4976; apply@SGLeads.org or mbbrownlee@valdostachamber.com.