2020 ACCG Leadership Awards

ACCG would like to congratulate the strong county leaders for their committment to enhancing the state of Georgia. Because of their contributions, they have been selected to recieve an ACCG Leadership Award. ACCG Leadership Awards are the highest honors given to county officials or other individuals who made a substantial impact through their public service work in local government and other involvement within the community and/or the state level. 

Emory Greene Leadership Award

The Emory Greene Leadership Award, in honor of the late Emory Greene who served as chairman of the Bibb County Board of Commissioners and former ACCG President, sets out to recognize county officials who have made a significant impact on their community both on the local and state level during their time as a commissioner. This year, Gwinnett County Chairman Charlotte Nash was selected as the recipient of the award. Since 1977, Chairman Nash has made a lasting impression on her native Gwinnett County. Beginning her career in county government as a grants manager, Nash quickly demonstrated her desire to have an impact on the community. Her experience in various county roles equipped her with a unique set of skills that proved an asset when constituents began to lose faith in the county government. When elected to the Board of Commissioners she set out to restore the public's faith and run the county with integrity and stability. Since then, she has gone above and beyond to retain the public's trust and make Gwinnett County a better place to live. Under her leadership, the county continues to thrive in the area of  economic development an implement initiatives that improve quality of life for county residents. Nash’s dedication to the community, her integrity, and her ability to see growth on local, regional, and statewide levels has made her more than deserving of the Emory Greene Leadership Award.

Jerry R. Griffin Excellence in Public Service Award

The Jerry R. Griffin Excellence in Public Service Award was created to recognize an individual who has made significant contributions to the citizens of the state of Georgia through public service in county government. This award is named in honor of Jerry Griffin, a notable public servant whose career followed a strong path of state and local government positions. This year’s awardee, Mark Teal, is revered as a quiet trailblazer that has been instrumental in shaping the past, present, and future success of Douglas County. Since assuming the position of county administrator in 2015, he quickly exceeded the expectations of his county peers and has become a notable, highly respected figure within the community. With the help of Teal, the county has been successful in attracting new businesses such as Google, Switch, Amazon and many more. He is also credited with helping the county achieve its ARC certification as a Green Community in 2009, signifying the county's commitment to sustainable buildings and policies. While Teal plays a pivotal role is the county's economic and environmental growth, his biggest achievement is being a motivation to others. He leaves a lasting impact everyone he meets and is highly regarded by his county staff.

Legislative Advocate Award

Commissioner Rader served as ACCG’s appointed Co-Chair of the Joint ACCG-Task Force on Service Delivery Strategy (SDS)and Local Option Sales Tax (LOST). Under his leadership, this Task Force of county and city officials met throughout the state from June through January (together with countless subcommittee meetings) to develop legislation to lessen the conflicts posed by SDS and LOST negotiations. While the work of the Task Force was suspended without final resolution, Commissioner Rader’s deep engagement and committed leadership resulted in proposals that establish a firm foundation for future legislation on these complex issues.   Commissioner Rader was also among ACCG’s leaders in our opposition to legislation (HB 302, HB 937 and SB 172) that would have eliminated local governments’ ability to regulate residential design standards in new subdivisions.  He was actively involved with and presented to the 2019 House study committee on the issue, utilized his role with the Georgia Planning Association to organize Georgia’s local government planners in opposing the legislation, and was actively engaged with his legislative delegation during the legislative process.  Similarly, Rader was instrumental in getting DeKalb County’s delegation to oppose HB 980, a bill that would have preempted all local residential building ordinances and redefined "family" to include any group of people, of any size, living together.  Jeff is a stalwart in protecting home role and local control over land use practices at the community level.    

Youth Leadership Award

Henry County youth leader, Jayden Williams was selected as the 2020 Youth Leader for his passion in bringing awareness to issues such as domestic violence and human trafficking. When he's not advocating for human rights, he's being the best older brother, son, student and friend he can be. Outside of school, he excels as a praise leader in his church, owns a successful online business, serves on the Stockbridge Youth Council, Men of Valor, Georgia State NAACP, volunteers at the M & M Hope House and speaks to various teen organizations. He has also served as a pager for the 2020 legislative session and frequently presents at the Henry County Board of Education meetings to advocate for the changes needed in schools to increase academic performance among students. A natural leader, Jayden represents the voice of concern for the students of Henry County. He welcomes the responsibility and puts his all into everything he sets out to accomplish.