Executive committee named for Archway Partnership

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November 23, 2009

Submitted by the University of Georgia Archway Partnership

The University of Georgia Archway Partnership recently announced the selection of the executive committee and chairpersons to serve the Dalton/Whitfield County community.

The Partnership works with community leaders and residents to address priority needs identified by each community. Archway works to bridge higher education resources and communities by supplying lines of communication and access between invested parties.

Since Dalton/Whitfield County became the eighth Archway community, a listening session has been held with community leaders and residents to develop a list of community needs and concerns. In the coming weeks and months, projects will be defined and higher education resources identified to address these community-driven priorities.

The 14-member Archway executive committee is comprised of Brian Anderson, Linda Blackman, Katie Brochu, Jim Burran, Don Cope, Chuck Dobbins, David Gregg, Jim Hawkins, Rick Hooper, Dixie Kinard, Bob McLeod, Jeff Myers, Ty Ross and John Schwenn.

Chairing the committee is Rick Hooper. As the chief counsel for the Shaw Industries Group, a Dalton-based flooring company, Hooper has been an active community member and leader for more than 20 years, including recently serving on the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce executive board.

Serving as vice chair is John Schwenn. President of Dalton State College since 2007, Schwenn oversees the four-year college with a campus of more than 4,800 students and more than 200 full- and part-time faculty members.

“As a graduate of the University of Georgia I am aware of the school’s history and its charter to be an institution to serve all of the people of the state of Georgia,” Hooper said. “I am humbled and excited to lead a committee of outstanding community leaders as we seek to comprehend what we heard in the community listening session, identify and prioritize opportunities, and then match them with the resources of the University System of Georgia.”

Founded in 2005 at the University of Georgia, the Archway Partnership was established to link communities across Georgia with higher education resources to facilitate community development in a variety of focus areas, from health care promotion to leadership training to economic development. Archway Professionals are located in eight portal communities across the state and work to connect communities with the University System of Georgia.