Four Lee County leaders recently completed a leadership training program conducted by the Georgia Academy for Economic Development.

The 2014 graduates from Lee County include Casey Moore, Leesburg city clerk; Matt Inman, Lee County Planning Department director; William Hancock of Webb Properties and Jay Merritt of Merritt Insurance, Investments and Consulting.

They were among the 28 graduates who attending training at Darton State College over a four-month period. Created in 1993, the Academy gives those participating an understanding of the complexities of economic and community development.

“One of the goals for the multi-day regional academies is to encourage multi-county cooperation,” said Corinne Thornton, director of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development. “Many times the participants discover the issues facing their community are the same as those facing other communities in their region, and can then combine limited resources to address the issue.”

In addition to training in the basics of economic and community development, the program included specialized segments on business recruitment and retention, tourism product development, planning and other essentials for community success.

Local elected officials receive certification training credits through the Association County Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Municipal Association for completion of the program.

The next training session begins in August 2015. For more information, contact Jo Childers at [email protected].