Leadership Gwinnett Class 2012 Includes Mayor Kelly Kautz

Leadership Gwinnett announces the 40 Gwinnett business and community leaders named to its twenty-eighth class. In August, they will begin their drive for positive change in the region.

“Choosing the class requires balancing the occupations, qualifications and commitment of the candidates to ensure a representation that reflects a cross-section of the county,” says Lisa Zaken, executive director, Leadership Gwinnett. “The caliber of these applicants makes selection more difficult. Since the class size is limited to 40, many excellent candidates are not chosen on their first nomination. For this reason, we strongly encourage candidates to apply again if not selected.”

Leadership Gwinnett, The Leadership Gwinnett Foundation and the Gwinnett Chamber work cooperatively each year to develop a group of leaders that ultimately create a legacy of success by applying their talents to drive positive change for the community.

Dan King, general chair, Leadership Gwinnett and retired partner, King & Spalding, adds, “Leadership Gwinnett has been a tremendous success for our county.

Since the program’s inception in 1985, over 850 alumni have taken their places in our community as decision makers and role models. Leadership graduates can be found in every aspect of Gwinnett business, civic and cultural life.”

The 2012-2013 Leadership Gwinnett Class includes:
Mark Abrams, president, Aspen Information Systems
Brant Aden, CEO, Foresite Group, Inc.
Lisa Anders, executive director, Gwinnett Convention & Visitors Bureau
Susan Bacon, president, Palmetto Grant Consulting
Aaron Bovos, CFO and deputy county administrator, Gwinnett County
Amy Bray, member/partner, Andersen, Tate & Carr, P.C.
Kellie Brownlow, director, economic development, Gwinnett Chamber
Sally Corbett, executive director, ArtWorks! Gwinnett
Jennifer Dunn, ‘2012 Teacher of the Year,’ Pharr Elementary/Gwinnett County Public Schools
Brian Edwards, attorney/partner, Webb, Tanner, Powell, Mertz & Wilson, LLP
Jennifer Fero, assistant principal, Grayson Technical/Gwinnett County Public Schools
Dan Foster, mayor pro tem, City of Suwanee, and Enterprise Data Solutions, Verizon Enterprise Solutions
Jorge Gomez, executive director of administration and policy, Gwinnett County Public Schools
Lynette Howard, commissioner, District 2, Gwinnett County
Tim Hur, CEO, International Business Accelerator
Kimberly Hutcherson, MD, director, Breast Imaging and Intervention, Gwinnett Breast Center-Lawrenceville, Gwinnett Medical Center
Nola Jackson, partner, Cruser & Mitchell, LLP
Jay Kalke, co-founder/vice president, Kaltech International
Kelly Kautz, mayor, City of Snellville, attorney/owner, Law Office of Kelly D. Kautz, LLC
Ron Lee, Jr., financial advisor, Edward Jones
Eddie Long, CPA/owner, Napoli & Long, PC, CPAs
Julianna McConnell, president/CEO, The Preston Group
Lee Merritt, owner, Merritt Properties
Zach Mills, DVM, owner, Tiger Tails Animal Hospital
Julie Potts, chief assistant solicitor, Gwinnett County
Andrew Pourchier, partner, Rhodes, Young, Black & Duncan
Justin Price, mortgage loan originator, Home Lending Source
Stacy Pruitt, general manager, Dave & Buster’s
Bill Sloan, senior business relationship manager, Wells Fargo Bank NA
Jay Smith, Jr., MD, emergency medicine physician, Gwinnett Emergency Specialists, PC
Alana Sulka, director of Epidemiology and Community Health, Gwinnett County Board of Health
Pat Sweeney, PhD, executive director, Leadership Institute, Georgia Gwinnett College
Chip Sweney, executive leadership team, Perimeter Church
Alisa Toney, alumni relations and development officer, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Nancy Trujillo, COO, Annandale at Suwanee, Inc.
Radha Vettraino, vice president, Bank of America
David Welden, executive vice president of administration, Gwinnett Technical College
Michelle West, managing attorney, M. West Legal, LLC
Nadine White, chief of staff, Cisco
Tyler White, assistant vice president, commercial relationship manager, United Community Bank

From the nearly 500 nominations received each year, Leadership Gwinnett alumni selected the final group of 40 based on the following criteria: work experience, accomplishments, community involvement, education and other information from their individual applications.

The  nine-month experience entails two overnight retreats, seven one-day symposia (covering world class community, infrastructure, economics, education, health and human services, justice and regional relations), as well as monthly study groups and other activities.

The success of Leadership Gwinnett depends largely on financial and other support from our community. The generosity of our Sustaining Partners enhances the overall experience for our participants and ensures that a truly diverse network of leaders will be prepared to guide Gwinnett’s future.

The 2012-13 Sustaining Partners include: The Brand Banking Co., Brand Mortgage, Cisco Systems, Inc., Eastside Medical Center, Garrard Group, Inc., Georgia Gwinnett College, Gwinnett Medical Center, King & Spalding, The John Maxwell Co., McClellan, Allen & Associates, LLC and Primerica, as well as Accent South Media, Andersen, Tate & Carr, P.C., Rialto Capital/The WaterFront on Lake Oconee and Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Homes.