Two new department directors have been named by Gwinnett County Administrator Glenn Stephens. Rebecca Shelton and Matthew Dickison are in new jobs as head of their departments. Shelton was named acting director of the Department of Water Resources last July. Dickison has been promoted to director of the Department of Planning and Development Department following Susan Canon’s recent retirement.
Shelton
Shelton started her career as a utility planner at what was then known as the Gwinnett County Department of Public Utilities. After climbing the ranks within the industry and serving in various roles, including in the cities of Atlanta and Alpharetta and an engineering firm, she returned to Gwinnett. Since her return, she has taken the lead in operations, technical services and construction.
She holds a B.S. in environmental engineering from the University of Central Florida and M.S. in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Gwinnett County Water Resources handles water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, and stormwater management. Assets include 1,400 miles of stormwater pipe, two water filter plants that produce 70 million gallons of drinking water per day, 3,000 miles of wastewater pipes, and the internationally recognized F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center, which can treat up to 60 million gallons of effluent per day. The department employs about 600 people.
Dickison
Dickison joined Gwinnett County Planning and Development in 2021 as deputy director before being promoted to assistant director the following year. Before joining Gwinnett County, Dickison served as Planning and Development director for the city of Chamblee and an associate planner at Clark Patterson Lee and Associates. He has also served in leadership positions in the cities of Dunwoody, Johns Creek and Suwanee.
Dickison began his career in urban planning working for the city of Louisville, Ky., where he also earned a master’s degree at the University of Louisville. He is a certified planner with a bachelor’s degree in geography in addition to a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Illinois.
The department serves to promote and enhance the well-being of residents and businesses in Gwinnett County by planning for growth and maintaining adopted standards for development. The department, consisting of the planning, development, building, housing and community development, code enforcement and administration divisions, is responsible for community planning, authorizing permits for site development and building construction projects, issuing business licenses, enforcing county codes, and ordinances.
Month of May full of events at Aurora Theatre
May is beginning with a bang as Aurora Theatre presents a bold new lineup of performances. The hit comedy The Play That Goes Wrong, along with a performance from Dad’s Garage and Aurora Comedy Nights featuring Lace Larrabee will bring the laughs to the Lawrenceville Arts Center, while 24K Magic: A Tribute to Bruno Mars brings the funk.
For younger audiences, the Aurora Children’s Playhouse presents the Mago Junior Show full of magic, mimes and more! In the Courtyard, audiences can enjoy a night of salsa under the stars with performances by Club Babalú in their Tributo a la Salsa Venezolana. For AAPI Heritage Month, the LAC presents a movie night featuring the heartfelt drama Minari. Guests are also invited to a double-feature dance event presenting the classical ballet, Paquita, followed by the new contemporary ballet, Let’s Go Take a Walk.
- For a detailed listing of these events, visit https://www.auroratheatre.com.
GGC offers two new concentrations in health sciences
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for health care professionals will grow 13 percent over the next decade, translating to more than two million new job openings in the next 10 years and another two million openings projected to come from growth and replacement needs. The median wage for health care practitioners and technical occupations was $75,000 in 2021, while the median annual salary for all occupations was $45,760.
Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) launched a new degree program in 2020, allowing students to capitalize on that opportunity. Its first cohort of students will graduate during the college’s May 11 commencement ceremony.
The GGC Bachelor of Science in Health Science program offers two concentrations: patient navigation and public health.
- Learn more about the program and meet two students who will graduate from the program:https://www.ggc.edu/about-ggc/news/georgia-gwinnett-college-graduates-first-cohort-in-new-health-science-major.
Gainesville hospital seeking art for its 11-story tower
The new patient tower at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville is set to open in 2025 – and the hospital is looking to add some extra character. Northeast Georgia Health System has put out a call for local artists to submit their work for a chance to have it featured in the new, 11-story tower.
The goal of adding artwork across the 11 floors is to enhance the emotional well-being of patients, families and staff. The artwork selected will reflect local views of nature in northeast Georgia. Up to four digital images or photos can be submitted by each artist at nghs.com/art and should be a minimum size of 20 inches by 20 inches. The art submitted should be an existing piece of work to show the artist’s style and should fall into one of the following mediums: oil, acrylic, pastel, watercolor, glass, mosaic tile, photography, metal or mixed media.
Artwork should be in full color, and depict recognizable landscapes, including orchards, waterscapes, florals and garden scenes that represent the local geography and topography. Preference will be given to artists living or working locally in Banks, Barrow, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union and White counties. The deadline to submit is May 31, 2023. To learn more about the new tower, visit nghs.com/growing. To submit artwork, visit nghs.com/art.
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