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Andrea Griner is Central Georgia Technical College’s Vice President for Economic Development. In this role, she leads the Office of Economic Development in serving the College’s 11 county service delivery area by ensuring economic development training programs are accessible and aligned to support the workforce needs of the business community. Andrea also provides assistance to community leaders, chambers and development authorities by supporting the recruitment of new businesses and the expansion of existing industries.
Andrea holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and MBA from Georgia College and State University. She has completed coursework through the International Economic Development Council and has earned the prestigious designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD). Andrea has is a member of the Georgia Economic Developer’s Association and previously served as chair of the Business Expansion and Retention Committee. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Macon Economic Development Commission, the Houston County Career Academy, and Macon-Bibb County Workforce Development Board.
Breezy Straton serves as the Director of Existing Industry, Workforce, and Compliance for the Douglas County Economic Development Authority and the State Lead for Georgia Business Leaders United (GaBLU). She has been named one of Douglas County’s Top Ten Young Professionals twice (2011 and 2016), a graduate of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute, and most recently she was named the 2019 Taking Care of Business Leader by National Skills Coalition. She is a native of Georgia and a graduate of Mercer University where she received a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree with concentrations in History and Religion and the University of Georgia where she received a Master of Public Administration degree with concentrations in Social Policy and Quasi-Government Entities. In her spare time she teaches as an adjunct professor for Mercer University’s Penfield College and spends time with her husband, Brenton, and their two girls, Layla (15 years old) and Charlotte (4 years old) and boxer Lincoln.
Brett Lacy currently serves as the Workforce Division Manager for Select Fulton. As Division Manager, Lacy leads a team in supporting the workforce needs of Fulton County and represents Fulton County in developing and enhancing regional partnerships and strategies to grow the key industries and communities in the Metro Atlanta Region. Since arriving in Fulton, he has worked with the Board of Commissioners, the County Manager, and the Fulton Workforce Development Board to help implement a strategy to align workforce programs with the economic development efforts.
Prior to joining the WorkSource Fulton team, Brett provided seven years of service as part of the State’s workforce administration. At the time of his departure, Brett had served as the Director of Programs and Business Services in the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Workforce Division. At GDEcD, he supported WorkSource Georgia’s customer service mission and partnered with GDEcD’s Global Commerce Team creating innovative workforce solutions to keep Georgia the ‘No. 1 State for Business.’ He is a proud ‘Double Dawg’, holding both a masters of public administration and a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Georgia. Brett and his wife, Margaret, live in Atlanta with their daughter, Miller, and dog, Woodrow.