32 Graduate From Leadership Sandy Springs

Thirty-two rising leaders in the Sandy Springs community graduated from their nine month course with Leadership Sandy Springs.

The ceremony was held on May 7, and was preceded by Leadership Sandy Springs alumni coming together to rekindle their relationships and join graduates in a ceremony to honor them for their contributions. 

The recognition piece was established in 2002 by Leadership Sandy Springs' Board of Directors who saw the need for acknowledging the contributions of individual alumni, building relationships between members of different class years, and showcasing the diversity of leadership roles they have since taken. 

Award nominees are determined through a membership-wide nomination of graduates who completed the program five or more years ago. Winners are determined by previous award recipients. 

This year, class of 2009 graduate Willis Lanier and Tochie Blad from the class of 2006 were awarded with the Carolyn Axt Leadership Sandy Springs Alumni Recognition Award for their outstanding community contributions since taking the class. 

Approximately 100 people attended the event which also included board members, sponsors, business partners and staff. The event kicked off with a song written by Amelia Holley, a recent graduate of Youth Leadership Sandy Springs, the junior leadership training program designed for high school sophomores and juniors from area schools. 

Attendees were treated to a humorous speech by 2014 graduate Chip Houston, head of middle school at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School. He shared how his class experience was embodied by three concepts: knowledge, relationships and action. 

He concluded by reminding them that “influence must be earned” and encouraged his fellow graduates to take action with what they learned.

Leadership Sandy Springs takes class members across the metro Atlanta area to explore various industry sectors and engaging in discussions, listening to speakers, and exploring many aspects of leadership in the 21st century.

Class members are exposed to a variety of sectors such as nonprofit service, and they are given the opportunity to interact with decision makers while studying issues facing our changing community and participated in teams to volunteer in community-building projects.