NEWS BRIEFS: Leadership Gwinnett announces 44 for class of 2024

Forty-four people have been selected for the Leadership Gwinnett Class of 2024 — the 38th class of the organization’s signature program for established community leaders. Since 1985, Leadership Gwinnett has ensured that Gwinnett’s most influential and esteemed leaders are knowledgeable about issues, well-networked, and passionate about the success of the county and the region. 

These talented leaders will spend nine months immersed in an active learning experience, diving into our community’s history, assets, and challenges, emerging ready to create positive change alongside a network of influencers and decision-makers. 

The Leadership Gwinnett program will begin in August 2023 and run through May 2024. 

The Class of 2024:

• Shaun Adams, Counsel, Parker Poe Adams and Bernstein, LLP;
• Shameka Allen, Associate Director, Good Samaritan Health Centers of Gwinnett;
• Nelmaris Alvarez, Director of Development, Corporate Relations, Junior Achievement of Georgia;
• Andrea Barclay, Founder and CEO, Because One Matters;
• Christy Barnes, General Counsel, Georgia Department of Community Affairs;
• Katha Blackwell, CEO, Partnership Against Domestic Violence;
• Clayton Cain, CEO/ Managing Partner, Cain Injury Law;
• Andre Castro, Director of Community Engagement, GNR Public Health;
• Arefeen Chowdhury, Financial Planning & Analysis Manager, ABM Industries;
• Dr. Christine Miller Divine, Chief Information Officer, Georgia Gwinnett College;
• Chris Fehn, Principal Consultant, SEI-Atlanta LLC;
• Dr. Reuben Gresham, Cluster Superintendent, Gwinnett County Public Schools;
• Kelsey Grodzicki, Partner, Winter Capriola Zenner, LLC;
• Melissa Hardegree, Chief Communications Officer, City of Lawrenceville;
• Lisa Robinson Hernandez, Attorney, The Fowler Firm;
• Adela Iturregui, Founder/Owner/Managing Attorney, ABC Estate and Legacy Planning;
• Liz Jackson, Director of Community Relations, Piedmont Eastside Medical Center;
• Sydney Johnson, Creative Director, Accent Creative Group;
• Michelle Kang, President/CEO, AAPI Outreach & Engagement, LLC;
• Yari Lawson, Founder/Partner, Lawson Law Firm, PC;
• Tray Leslie, Renewables and Resiliency Manager, Georgia Power;
• Tony Lockard, Director of Safety and Security/ Gwinnett County Public Schools;
• Dr. Andrea P. Mann, Dean and Chief Academic Officer, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine;
• Senator Nikki Merritt, District 9, Georgia State Senate;
• Bret Muetzelfeld, CEO/Broker, Peach State Realty;
• Imran Niazi, CEO/President, Blackwater Construction Group;
• Paul Oh, Director, Public Policy and Community Affairs, Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce;
• Chris Palmer, Client Service Leader, Jacobs;
• Tommy Pearce, Executive Director, Neighborhood Nexus;
• Wesley Person, Judge, Gwinnett County Recorder’s Court;
• Samuel Richmond, Founder and President, Nvestfit, LLC;
• Craig Roberts, District Director, Engineering & Operations, Jackson EMC;
• Sydney Sattler, Controller, TechCXO;
• Dr. Brett Savage, Principal, Brookwood High School, Gwinnett County Public Schools;
• Jammie Taire, Managing Attorney, SmithTaire Legal, LLC;
• Curt Thompson, Attorney/CEO, Thompson and Associates Law Firm, P.C.;
• Robert Thompson, Captain, Suwanee Police Department;
• M. Nikki Thornton, Senior Director, 3DE by Junior Achievement of Georgia;
• Patty Thumann, Managing Partner, PBJ Media Holdings
• Michelle Vereen, Department of Child Advocacy and Juvenile Services, Gwinnett County;
• Bianca (BB) Watkins, Agent/Owner, BB Watkins Agency-State Farm;
• Angie West, CFO, Richardson Housing Group;
• Nikeisha Whatley-Leon, System Director, Behavioral Health Services, Northside Hospital; and
• Jen Young, Executive Director, Impact46, Inc.

NOTABLE

Gwinnett Tech respiratory unit gets credentialing award

Students in respiratory program at study

Gwinnett Technical College’s Respiratory Care program is considered one of the top programs of its kind in the country – not surprising when the program’s graduates have a ten-year streak of 100 percent pass rates on the field’s national credentialing exam, a rare accomplishment.

Later this month, the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) will honor the college’s Respiratory Care program with the Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success Award. The award honors colleges with three or more years of outcomes data; hold accreditation without a progress report; document RRT credentialing success of 90% or above; and meet or exceed established CoARC thresholds for CRT credentialing success, retention, and on-time graduation rate. 

Respiratory care therapists are critical in caring for patients suffering from heart and lung illnesses. Gwinnett Tech’s respiratory care program trains its students using the latest medical technology and equipment to prepare them for employment in the field. 

Gwinnett Tech’s associate degree in respiratory care can be completed in two years. For more information on Gwinnett Tech’s Respiratory Care program, visit: https://www.gwinnetttech.edu/respiratorycare/.

EMC Foundation awards $60,000 to Gwinnett agencies

Getting a check for $10,000 from the Jackson EMC Foundation is Greg Elder, vice president of client services for MUST Ministries, second from the right. EMC District Manager Jennifer Fennell is at the left, next to Beauty Baldwin of the EMC Foundation. At the right is Kenny Lumpkin, also of the Foundation.

The Jackson EMC Foundation board of directors awarded a total of $123,696 in grants for organizations during its recent meeting, including $60,000 to organizations serving Gwinnett County. 

• $15,000 to Adventure Bags Inc., for its Serving Children in Crisis, One Bag at a Time Program, to create comfort bags and distribute to the displaced.
• $15,000 to The Lawrenceville Cooperative, an emergency food bank for residents of Lawrenceville and Dacula in Gwinnett County, for its Emergency Assistance Program to purchase food from local food banks and/or local grocery stores. 
• $15,000 to Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, in Suwanee, for its Opportunities Academy Program to educate rising 10th and 11th grade students in Gwinnett County Public Schools in medicine, health and behavioral sciences.
• $10,000 to MUST Ministries Inc., for its summer lunch program, which provides breakfast and lunch to needy children in Gwinnett County five days per week for nine weeks.
• $5,000 to Freedom Path Counseling, to provide one-on-one and group counseling services for residents in Clarke, Barrow, Gwinnett, Hall and Madison counties.