The Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Bulloch class visited the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on February 3, 2022. The class was welcomed by Senator Billy Hickman and his wife, JoAnn Hickman.
The class then went to the Senate floor, where they received a briefing on the top initiatives of the Senate, including legislation pertaining to the foster care system as well as crime control. The class had the privilege of meeting Lieutenant Governor, Geoff Duncan during their time on the Senate floor. Jeff Mullis, Chairman of the Rules Committee, offered a few Senate trivia facts. The Senate convened at 10:00am, and Mrs. Hickman remained with the class to observe the session. Senator Hickman, with great pride, introduced the Leadership Bulloch class to be recognized by the Senate floor, which provided him the opportunity to share his own experience as part of the inaugural Leadership Bulloch class.
Class participants provided Senator Hickman details regarding the class’s community service project, in partnership with Bulloch County Habitat for Humanity, with completion expected May 2022.
Representatives Butch Parrish, Jan Tankersley, and Majority Leader Jon Burns also took a moment to meet class participants and provide an update on their respective committees of the Georgia House of Representatives.
The class also met with and heard from Senators Max Burns (District 23), Tonya P. Anderson (District 43), Carden Summers (District 13), and Ian Caraway, Deputy Director of Government Affairs and Policy for the Office of Brian P. Kemp.
The following day the class visited Mercedes Benz Stadium for a unique behind the scenes tour with Dawn Brown, Tour Operations and Education Program Manager, followed by a question-and-answer session with Dennette Thornton, Director of Group Sales and Stadium Tours and Warren Parr, Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service for the Atlanta Falcons. As alumni of Georgia Southern, both Thornton and Parr also discussed their strong relationship with the University and ability to recruit strong candidates to work for the stadium.
Leadership Bulloch class participants include Leslie Deal Akins, Dorsey Baldwin, John Banter, Phil Boyum, Demetrius Bynes, Brian Harris, Noah Kamsler, Jenni Kight, Judith Oglesby, Elizabeth Oliver, Jared Mock, Bryan Realiza, and Naronda Wright.
The Chamber would like to express gratitude to the class chairs who helped plan the
session as community volunteers and Leadership Bulloch alumni. The class chairs are Chris Wiggins, Paige Navarro, Stephanie Neal, and Alex McGhee.
