Business-Education Partnership Expands Through Sandy Springs-Perimeter Chamber of Commerce's New Program, "CEO for a Day"

“CEO for a Day”, an inaugural program by the Sandy Springs-Perimeter Chamber of Commerce (SSPC, www.sandyspringsperimeterchamber.com,), brought together community educators and leaders for a day of information gathering and relationship building. The group was welcomed by Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul and SSPC Board Chair Chris Burnett. Principals from all 11 Sandy Springs public schools, Fulton County Schools Area Superintendent Dr. Gonzalo LaCava, SSPC CEO Tom Mahaffey, additional educators and SSPC and Fulton County School Curriculum Specialist staff spent a full day meeting with senior management at several Sandy Springs offices, discussing workforce needs and how to best teach marketable skills to local students and prepare them for future jobs.

“We were thrilled at the response to this first-time event,” said Heather Kaufman, who planned the full-day program. “‘CEO for a Day’ was created within the Chamber’s Workforce Development-Education Alliance, and is the reverse of the very successful ‘Principal for a Day’, program, which has been going strong for five years.”

Under the direction of Co-Chairs Heather Kaufman and Carolyn Axt, the Workforce Development-Education Alliance builds partnerships with businesses, community organizations, educators and students to help develop a qualified workforce for the City of Sandy Springs and the surrounding Perimeter area. The “Principal for a Day” program is managed in partnership with the Fulton County School System, and gives community business leaders the opportunity to spend time in area schools to learn first-hand about educators’ successes and challenges, and to discuss the skills students need in order to succeed in today’s business world. Over the past few years, beneficial partnerships have been formed, as businesses identify needs and offer support to the various schools.

Participants in the Sept. 30 ‘CEO for a Day’ program met with senior leadership and spent time at the offices of Manheim North America, Cox Communications, First Data and AirWatch, as well as representatives from the Georgia Department of Economic Development. During the afternoon, they heard from a panel of healthcare human resources executives representing Northside Hospital, Emory Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente.

“I was very impressed that so many executives made time to meet with us and talk about how we can work together to support our children,” said Carrie Pitchford, principal of High Point Elementary School. “After that day, we were able to create partnerships that will allow our students to have more real-world experiences as well as have a better understanding of what traits a student needs to possess in order to be successful in the workforce.”

“The CEO for a Day event was an inspiring and fun-filled day! I was excited to hear from so many executives of the different companies about their perspectives on the skills that students can focus on at the high school level to prepare them to enter a dynamic workforce. With all the businesses that call Sandy Springs home – from Fortune 500 companies to Mom-and-Pops, there are job opportunities for our students in nearly every field you can think of,” said Eddie Ruiz, principal of North Springs Charter High School.

Principals from the following schools attended the program: Ison Springs, Dunwoody Springs, Spalding Drive, Lake Forest, Woodland, Heards Ferry and High Point Elementary Schools; Ridgeview and Sandy Springs Middle Schools; and North Springs and Riverwood High Schools. “CEO for a Day” was sponsored by Cooper Global and Da Vinci’s Donuts.

About the Sandy Springs-Perimeter Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber was formed in 2008 to serve businesses in the City of Sandy Springs and the north Perimeter area. With leadership from an elected Board of Directors, and working in partnership with city government, the Chamber’s mission is to maximize the business success of its members, strengthen the competitiveness of the Sandy Springs business community and enhance economic prosperity of the area. Ongoing initiatives include workforce and economic development, business education, community service and networking opportunities for members. Tom Mahaffey is president of the Sandy Springs-Perimeter Chamber of Commerce. www.sandyspringsperimeterchamber.com