Dallas graduates from economic development academy

Published 12:04 am Monday, June 24, 2019

Highland Rivers Health CEO Melanie Dallas has graduated from the Georgia Academy of Economic Development. She was one of about 40 graduates from across the state.

The academy, sponsored by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and facilitated by Georgia EMC and Georgia Power, provides participants the opportunity to understand the complexities of economic development on the local, regional and state level.

“One of the goals for the multi-day regional academies is to encourage multi-county cooperation,” said Director of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development Corinne Thornton in a press release.

The program, taught one day a month during a four-month period, includes training in the basics of economic and community development, plus specialized segments on business recruitment and retention, tourism product development, downtown development, planning and other essentials for community success.

In addition, the curriculum features specific leadership skills such as consensus building, ethics in public service, collaborative leadership and other segments needed for effective community leadership in economic development.

“Economic development is so much more than business and new jobs, but also impacts our social services and safety net programs for vulnerable individuals, including mental health services,” said Dallas. “Collaboration and partnerships help ensure economic development in our communities benefits everyone, and we continue to look for opportunities to collaborate with partners across the communities served by Highland Rivers Health.”