Main Street’s Strickland Selected for 2023 GeorgiaForward Young Gamechangers Cohort
From Special Reports
ATLANTA — GeorgiaForward recently selected Abigail Strickland as one of the 45 promising professionals to serve the organization’s 2023 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.
Abigail Strickland has been employed by the City of Newnan since 2017. Abigail was first hired as the Special Event Coordinator, but now serves as the Main Street Manager and the staff liaison Newnan Downtown Development Authority. As the Main Street Manager, Abigail works closely with downtown business owners, property owners, the Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development agencies, non-profits groups and other governmental agencies. Main Street Newnan is recognized as a Nationally Accredited Main Street program and a Georgia Exceptional Main Street “GEMS” community.
“I am looking forward to working with some of the hardest-working young professionals that the state of Georgia has to offer to create a lasting impact on Columbus-Muscogee County,” Abigail said.
In 2023, Columbus-Muscogee County will host the Young Gamechangers. Columbus leaders have finalized their four “Challenge Questions” that the 2023 cohort will be charged to answer through the eight months they will spend developing specific, actionable recommendations for the community. These questions focus on economic development, community engagement, local entrepreneurship, and more.
“We are delighted to bring the Young Gamechanger program to Columbus after a very successful run in Dalton,” 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.”
“We can’t be more excited to host the Young Gamechangers program in the beautiful City of Columbus during a time when Columbus is experiencing the greatest momentum this city has ever seen,” said Isaiah Hugley, City Manager. “We look forward to highlighting the many projects that are underway and in the pipeline over the next few years, and young people will play a huge role in what the future of Columbus will look like.”
The 2023 cohort of Gamechangers will meet for the first time in the City of Columbus on April 26th , and their work will culminate with a community presentation of their findings and recommendations on October 19th.
“The professionals who participate in the Young Gamechangers Program in Columbus will bring fresh eyes and an openness to big new ideas,” said GMA CEO and Executive Director Larry Hanson. “Many of the innovative recommendations provided by past groups have shown that this fresh perspective can be a catalyst for positive, creative and thoughtful development for the host city. I am confident our next group will find great benefit from the program and leave a lasting impact on Columbus.”
Previous Young Gamechangers Host Communities are Americus-Sumter County, DublinLaurens County, Douglasville-Douglas County, Augusta-Richmond County, LaGrange-Troup County, Milledgeville-Baldwin County, Albany-Dougherty County, Monroe-Walton County, and Dalton-Whitfield County.
