New Leadership Georgetown County class begins

GEORGETOWN — Members of the 30th Leadership Georgetown County class gathered at the Georgetown County Chamber Welcome Center in Pawleys Island on Aug. 17 for an orientation.

With 26 members, the group is the largest Leadership class in the history of the program, said Beth Stedman, Chamber president and CEO. The next event for the group is a two-day retreat in September.

Each year, the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce selects participants through an application-based process to participate in the 10-month program which grants class members access to influential people and significant sites throughout Georgetown County as well as hands-on experience with community issues.

Leadership Georgetown County begins each September with an overnight retreat and continues through May with one full-day session per month, according to the Chamber website, visitgeorge.com. The community becomes the classroom as tours are held in a variety of locations throughout Georgetown County.

Each curriculum day encourages in-depth exploration of specific topics including local history, area nonprofits, economic development, county schools, local government, health care, tourism and the environment.

During the month of March, the leadership participants travel to Columbia for an overnight trip to learn more about leadership at the state level and how it impacts the local community.

The goal of the program is to challenge participants to enhance their leadership skills through dialogue, hearing from speakers and experiential learning, according to the website.

For more information about the Leadership Georgetown County program, contact the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce, 843-546-8436 or email Stedman at BStedman@VisitGeorge.com.

Randal Seyler is the editor of the Georgetown Times and the Myrtle Beach Post and Courier.