LEAD Athens
LEAD Athens is an intense year-long program of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce designed to develop effective leaders committed to building a vibrant community. The vision of LEAD Athens is to be the premier program inspiring leaders to exceed both their individual and collective potential.
Through Leadership, Education, Awareness, and Development, participants are heavily immersed in community issues including economic development, health and human services, education, the arts, local industry, and government.
Team building, problem-solving, and decision-making are also part of the program which yields a class of leaders ready to LEAD Athens. Founded in 1982, LEAD Athens has a rich history and has yielded over 700 alumni from all cross sections of the community. The LEAD Athens alumni have become great leaders in the Athens area and are helping the Chamber to guide this city to a bright and prosperous future.
Applications for the 2023-2024 class have closed.
Danielle Vito
Class of 2022
"LEAD has given me an opportunity to really get to know the Classic City and the fabulous people who influence our uniqueness. Being able to work along side such amazing leaders, while learning more about everything Athens has to offer, will be an experience I hold on to forever."
Tionya Lawrence
Athens Neighborhood Health Center
Class of 2022
"LEAD Athens has given me an opportunity to truly see Athens--the opportunity to see her in all her glory and in all her shortcomings. It's given me the opportunity to connect with individuals I may not have otherwise met and together we can all take what we've learned, engage, and collaborate to make Athens an even better community."
Class of 2023-2024
Brandy Anderson - Acceptance Recovery Center
Develon Davis - Peach State Federal Credit Union
Sarah Jones - Cannon Financial Institute
Jeremiah Bame - Piedmont Athens Regional
Cecile Riker - Athens-Clarke County Unified Government/Public Information Office
Brett DeLoach - Marks Commercial Realty, Inc
Jessica Roberts - Grahl Construction
Tamaine Jordan - Clarke County School District
Leslie Trier - Athens Community Council on Aging
Shawn Carey - Athens Ben-Epps Airport
Dean Cruz - Epting Events
Al McCall - Athens Technical College
Quin Meadows - Wayfair
Michelle Nguyen - Historic Athens Welcome Center
Stephen Nobles - Clarke County School District
Joel Collins - Barrons Rental Center
Lela Dinakaran-Beane - Bojangles
Linnea Ionno - The Cottage
Meredith Lysaught - Athens Area Community Foundation
Stacy Dean - Family Connections Community in Schools
Johnny Martin - Synovus
Susie Weller - Children First Inc
Angela Hurt - The University of Georgia
David Elrod - Milestone Construction
Katie Weaver - Georgia Power
Hunter Pugh - Extra Special People
Chad Brown - Brown & McCook Tax Firm
Zander Mason - Raymond James
Alison Alwes
Andy Hogan - The Cloverleaf Group, LLC
Susan Fontaine - Love.Craft Athens
2023 - 24 class photos and headshots by Rouse Photography