The Board of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development recently announced Dawson County had four graduates in the 2011 Region 2 Multi-Day Training Program.

Class participants represented a number of professional and non-professional economic development fields, including elected officials, public servants, business leaders, educators and social service providers from 13 counties in north Georgia.

"One of the goals for the multi-day regional academies is to encourage multi-county cooperation," said Corinne Thornton, director of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development. "Many times the participants discover the issues facing their community are the same as those facing other communities in their region, and can then combine limited resources to address the issue."

The academy provided each of the graduates an opportunity to gain a unique understanding of the complexities of economic and community development on the local, regional and state levels.

Created in 1993 by then-Governor Zell Miller's Development Council, the academy assembles a cross section of economic development professionals and resources to provide the training in all 12 service delivery regions in Georgia.