Archway chief is chamber’s keynote speaker
DR. MEL GARBER is the director of the University of Georgia’s Archway Partnership.
This year’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Mel Garber, the director of the University of Georgia Archway Partnership.
Grady County was selected as the newest Archway community last year and Sharon Liggett recently began work here as the Grady County Archway Professional.
Already, the community is realizing the benefits of the Archway Partnership as students of the Grady College are involved in a public relations campaign for Tired Creek Lake.
Dr. Garber was raised in southwest Louisiana and received his B.S. degree from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, in 1971 and a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1975.
He served as an assistant professor at Iowa State University with a teaching and research appointment from 1974-1977.
Dr. Garber spent 13 years in private industry where he was associated with the Weyerhaeuser Company. During his tenure with Weyerhaeuser, he was forestry research scientist in Hot Springs, Arkansas; research manager in Tacoma, Washington; general manager of a startup business in Orlando, Florida; and new business development manager in Tacoma, Washington.
In 1990, Dr. Garber joined the University of Georgia at the Tifton campus as a state extension specialist. Then in 2003, he was appointed associate dean for cooperative extension. He was charged with statewide administrative responsibility for cooperative extension.
Dr. Garber has been involved with the Archway Partnership since its launch in 2005. He currently serves as the director of the outreach program of the university.
In addition to remarks from Dr. Garber, the annual community awards presented by the chamber will be awarded Monday night.
Retiring chamber directors Marilyn Dollar, Tyler Lee, Ladon Toole and Dr. Mike Waldrop will be recognized for their service to the chamber.
Chamber Chairman Matt McCaskill will present an overview of 2011 before passing the gavel to 2012 Chairman Nat Higdon.
Joining Chairman Higdon on the board of directors will be Gail Cook, Chastity Cox, Lawton Heard and Matt Sanders.
Tickets for Monday night’s banquet are $35 each and are now available from the chamber. For more information or to purchase tickets call 229-377-3663.
Doors open at 6 p.m. and the dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.
