Aaron Szarowicz Selected For 2022 GeorgiaForward Young Gamechangers Cohort

Press release from the City of Douglasville:

Post Date:03/02/2022 3:40 PM

GeorgiaForward recently selected Douglasville's Economic Development Manager, Aaron Szarowicz as one of the 50 evolving professionals to serve the organization’s 2022 Young Gamechangers (YG) program. YG is a unique leadership action program hosted by GeorgiaForward, a non-profit organization administrated by the Georgia Municipal Association. Young Gamechangers brings professionals from across the state to work on the persistent challenges of one Georgia community.

In 2022, Dalton-Whitfield County will host the Young Gamechangers. Dalton leaders have finalized their four “Challenge Questions” that the 2022 cohort will be charged to answer through the six months they will spend developing specific, actionable recommendations for the community. These questions evolve around redevelopment, education, community engagement and more.

”We are delighted to return the Georgia Forward program to the communities of Georgia after a break due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said AJ Robinson, chair of GeorgiaForward’s board of directors. This program has proven beneficial to every locale in which it has taken place, bringing new and fresh ideas to cities and counties across the State. It is a premier leadership development opportunity which produces results on many levels.”

Aaron Szarowicz came to Douglasville in 2018 as part of the Graduate Fellow Program and has held positions of increasing responsibility including Community Relations and City Manager's Office.

“I am so excited to work with such a diverse group of accomplished, creative and hard-working Georgians and create a positive impact on Dalton-Whitfield County,” Szarowicz said. “I'm looking forward to meeting my fellow Gamechangers in April.”

The 2022 cohort of Gamechangers will meet for the first time in the city of Dalton on April 27 and their work will culminate with a community presentation of their findings and recommendations in late September.

“The timing is perfect for the Young Gamechangers program to come to the city of Dalton to bring fresh ideas and perspectives as our community continues to grow and evolve,” said City Administrator Andrew Parker. “There are so many exciting projects taking place within the city over the next few years, and the Young Gamechangers will help us continue to think critically about how to best position the community for long term success.”

Previous Young Gamechangers Host Communities are Americus-Sumter County, Dublin-Laurens County, Douglasville-Douglas County, Augusta-Richmond County, LaGrange-Troup County, Milledgeville-Baldwin County, Albany-Dougherty County and Monroe-Walton County.

About GeorgiaForward: Based in Atlanta, GeorgiaForward strives to improve the state of Georgia by working as a catalyst to promote cross-sector, statewide conversations and partnerships by engaging young professionals and business, political, academic and civic leaders.
GeorgiaForward engages and convenes young professionals and leaders in civics, industry, government, academia and the media to find a common vision for Georgia. The nonprofit organization, which is administered by the Georgia Municipal Association, accomplishes this by creating an environment in which vision and pragmatism supersedes political deadlock, fostering communication and goodwill among Georgia’s stakeholders, seeking innovative solutions to Georgia’s biggest challenges. To learn more about GeorgiaForward visit, georgiaforward.org.

This press release was produced by the City of Douglasville. The views expressed here are the author’s own.