The LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce announced at Tuesday’s Early Bird Breakfast the names of 29 community members who will participate in the 2018-19 Leadership Troup program.

Sponsored by the chamber, Leadership Troup has educated local professionals about the issues and concerns of the community since 1991. The program spans nine months and includes leadership modules created by The J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development – a public service and outreach unit of the University of Georgia.

“Our community is always in need of new leaders,” said Brandon Eley, immediate past chair of the Leadership Troup board.

“We had an unprecedented number of individuals nominated for participation in Leadership Troup, which made the selection of this year’s class difficult. However, I believe these 29 individuals are the best of the best for the 2018-19 class.”

This will be the fourth year of an enhanced program developed in conjunction with the Georgia LEADS program of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the University of Georgia’s Fanning Institute, whose mission is to grow quality leaders across the state.

The program begins with an overnight retreat and will convene for seven more sessions through May 2019. Participants will focus on local government, health care, education, tourism and more while also learning new perspectives on leadership from Fanning faculty.

This year’s participants are: Melinda Bailey, Troup County Health Department; Alex Beall, Jackson Services; Aidan Blackwell, thINC College & Career Academy; Melissa Brown, Calumet Bank; Shaundre Brown, WellStar West Georgia Physicians Group; Mario Demarino, Synovus; Meghan Duke, City of West Point; Baker Ellis, The LaGrange Daily News; Molly Fulghum, National Warehouse Management; Randy Hardigree, Troup County School System; Anabeth Ivey, LaGrange College; Laurie James, Duracell; Shenequa Killingsworth, Community Bank & Trust; Kash Lakhlani, Great Wolf Lodge; Shannon Lawson, Twin Cedars; Keyal Loveland, Sweetland Amphitheatre; Tiffany Lowery, Children’s Dentistry of West Georgia; Eric Mosley, Troup County Commission; Josh O’Neal, WellStar West Georgia Medical Center; William Pendergraph, Kimble’s Food by Design; Tami Poe, Wheelabrator; Kat Puk, Powertech America; Ashley Reed, Interface; John Lee Richter, CharterBank; Melissa Robinson, Employbridge; Jenna Sherrer, WellStar West Georgia Medical Center; Frederick Stanley, Communities in Schools; LaVon Stough, Mobis and Teresa Taylor, City of LaGrange.