The Next Generation of Leadership

To follow up on my last column regarding the importance of extending the invitation of leadership to our younger generation. There are many examples in our community of how this is already working well. I have the distinct privilege of working with young leaders on a regular basis and would like to take this opportunity to spotlight just a few.

We are blessed to be one of the few rural communities in Georgia left with a hospital governed by a local authority as opposed to being just a small part of a larger system. Stephens County Hospital (SCH) is currently one of the larger employers in the community, with a team of many young professionals. One such leader is the Vice President of Physician Practices, Van Loskoski. Van came to Toccoa from Liberty Medical in Savannah and has been with SCH for over two years. As some of our longtime local physicians approach retirement, our hospital is always looking ahead to help build longevity in our healthcare providers, new physicians, and support staff to continue to ensure quality healthcare and excellence in all the available services. Van is a tremendous asset to our hospital team and to our community. Van also serves on our Toccoa-Stephens County Tomorrow visionary team. Van is soon to be married to his fiancé, Courtney. Though they cannot live in Stephens County because it would be geographically challenging as they work in different directions, Van is fully engaged in all things Stephens County and the first to volunteer for local events in our community. Even though he is not able to reside here as of now, Van is still choosing to do life in Toccoa-Stephens County every chance he gets.

Brittany Ivey is the new President & CEO of our Stephens County Development Authority. Brittany is from a family with many generations of history in Stephens County. Prior to her most recent regional work with Farm Bureau, Brittany spent over two years at the Development Authority. I had the honor to get to know her as we worked together to welcome prospects considering Stephens County as their new home, and with meetings involving our local industrial leadership. She may not have known then, but she was learning the ropes and laying the foundation for her new opportunity at the SC Development Authority. We certainly welcome her back with open arms and look forward to future growth for Stephens County. Brittany and her husband Chad live in Stephens County as they are raising their three children right here in our community. The Ivey family is choosing to do life in Toccoa-Stephens County.

WNEG, our very own radio station, is yet another local business making a conscious effort to hire and encourage the leadership of the younger generation. The WNEG News Director is, Ethan Jordan. Ethan hit the ground running from the moment he joined the WNEG team four years ago. Ethan started by intentionally building relationships with the people of our community. It’s been and continues to be an honor to work with Ethan as he helps to tell the stories and thoroughly report the news in Toccoa-Stephens County and beyond. His passion and commitment to the job and to our community are evident in the material he presents. Prior to coming to WNEG, Ethan worked as a staff writer at The Northeast Georgian. Though Ethan grew up in Habersham County, after joining the WNEG Media team, he now lives in Toccoa and is choosing to do life in Toccoa-Stephens County.

Christian Hamilton, Main Street Manager at The City of Toccoa. Christian has been part of the City team in various roles for close to five years, beginning his career in our neighborhood as a college intern while still working on his masters at UGA. In addition to serving our community full-time, Christian is also an Adjunct Professor at Toccoa Falls College, is a Toccoa Rotarian, and serves on the Leadership Toccoa-Stephens County Board. Christian loves this community, and it is obvious in how he serves. Christian is a team player, and our community is better because of his commitment to the cause. It is such a pleasure to work closely with Christian to promote the efforts and events happening in Toccoa. He and his wife Alexis have two little boys and have recently purchased a new home for their growing family. You will quite often see Christian and his family supporting many events downtown throughout the year hosted by Main Street Toccoa. The Hamilton family is choosing to do life in Toccoa-Stephens County.

Of course, I could not wrap this column up on a better note than to share with you the gem I get to work alongside every day at The Chamber.  Samantha Rickman is our Community Relations and Member Services Coordinator. Before joining the Chamber team over a year ago, she served as Director of Community Relations at Stephens County Hospital. For years Samantha has been a vital part of our community and our Chamber. Her commitment to excellence and the skillset she brings to the table along with her passion to unite and promote our business community is beyond compare. If there is a more efficient and better way to get it done, she will figure it out. Samantha loves all the fabulous things about our amazing town and creatively shares all the stories with grace and beauty. She consistently goes above and beyond, committed to working hard to serve our community. Our Chamber is blessed to have this next generation leader on our team. Samantha and her husband Josh have recently renovated a beautiful home in town where they are bringing up their two precious young children while choosing to do life in Toccoa-Stephens County.

I am blessed to work in conjunction with each of the young professionals I have mentioned as well as many others. Our community is better because of the gifts and talents they contribute. There is a reason I continue to repeat the phrase “choosing to do life in Toccoa-Stephens County”, because it is just that…their choice. These young professionals among others have chosen to invest, live, work, play, raise their families, volunteer, spend their hard-earned money, and do life here, in Toccoa-Stephens County. They are influencers and they are the very ones who will lead our community to the next level. We are grateful for the young professionals who choose to do life here in Toccoa-Stephens County. We need more next generation leaders to join the ranks. We need to hire them and promote them every chance we get. We must encourage them, mentor them, and invite them into every facet of our community.