The two largest chambers of commerce in the CSRA are looking for individuals who want to learn the inner workings of their communities.
The Augusta Metro and Columbia County Chambers are accepting applications for their 2027 leadership classes.
Leadership Columbia County (LCC) is a ten‑month program with monthly full‑day sessions.
“We are looking for folks that are interested in leadership roles in Columbia County,” Heath Taylor, President and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber, explained for ABD. “We will share education topics, political, government, arts, economic development, criminal justice, health care, military recreation, all of those things.”
The chair of LCC’s Class of 2027 will be Alex Griffin of the Medical College of Georgia Foundation. He was part of the 2023 class. The Vice Chair is a class of 2015 participant, Carey Pifer of Southeastern Residential.
“Alumni are huge to have. I don’t know how many people have graduated over the years through this program, but to have them bring their resources along with the energy and excitement of the new class again is invaluable in the knowledge that these folks can gain about the program and about our community,” said Taylor.
LCC has a companion piece that is designed for the county’s high school students, aimed at empowering rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Youth Leadership Columbia County (YLCC) runs for nine months and is structured much the same way as the adult program.
“Whether it be from Columbia County high schools or even our homeschool and private schools, we’re looking for future-focused community leaders. We want to educate, motivate, and equip our participants with the tools to become positive community impact leaders,” said Taylor. “We would love to see these folks go on to be county commissioners, mayors, different roles that are leadership in the community.”
The application period is also underway for the Augusta Metro Chamber’s Leadership Augusta Class of 2027. Leadership Augusta began in 1980 to educate and inspire new and current leaders to learn about challenges, achievements, and opportunities.
Taylor Lamb from Augusta University will chair the Leadership Class of 2027. Kaylee Snead of the Augusta National Golf Club will serve as Co-Chair.
Leadership Augusta has a companion program for the Richmond County high schools’ rising juniors and seniors. Applications are also being accepted for the Youth Leadership Augusta Class of 2027.
The deadline to apply for both Augusta programs is April 17th. More information and the application for the adult program are at www.leadershipaugustaga.com. Youth Leadership Augusta information and application are at www.leadershipaugustaga.com/youth-application.
In Columbia County, the deadline to apply for YLCC is April third. For the adult LCC program, the application deadline is April 24.
Applications for both programs can be downloaded from the Columbia County Chamber website at www.ColumbiaCountyChamber.com.
“These programs align with the Chamber’s goal of fostering long-term community development and informed civic engagement,” added Taylor. “The ultimate goal here is to equip people to help them become better leaders in Columbia County.”
