Leadership Athens County Celebrates 2020 & 2021 Cohorts

Dani Esperanza • December 18, 2025

LAC Flagship Graduation



On Thursday evening December 11 at the new home of the Athens County Foundation, the Athens Armory, we welcomed representatives from the 2020 and 2021 cohorts of Leadership Athens County. Two cohorts from 2020 and one from 2021 were the heroes of pivoting. They went through our program through leadership transitions and a global pandemic. And through their experience, they are helping to lead Athens County with resilience and perseverance. 


As Kerry Pigman, Executive Director of the Athens County Foundation, said “You are the mission in motion. LAC grows informed citizens, nurtures connections, and strengthens the leadership ecosystem that keeps our region moving forward.”


Congratulations, officially, graduates!


Flagship Program


Over a 9-month course, LAC participants are challenged to question their understanding of Athens’ economic, political, social, and cultural landscape through discussions of current issues and conversations with community leaders. They learn about a complex array of topics including poverty, food insecurity, regional employment, economic development, housing, transportation, arts and culture, history, health care options, behavioral health, prisons, natural resources, and education – all while making important personal and professional connections. 


Many of our 400-plus alumni still live and work in Athens County and - importantly - they call on each other (and us) to help solve problems, brainstorm new ideas, and feel connected to their community. These relationships and shared experiences provide fuel for future partnerships and co-creations.

The goals and objectives for Leadership Athens County are to:

  • Build relationships, connections, and community
  • Help guide participants to a deeper understanding of their strengths and priorities for engagement
  • Share Athens County’s assets and challenges, and encourage creative problem solving
  • Share knowledge, resources, and challenges in the spirit of creating an informed, connected web of community leaders

By participating in LAC, you will:

  • Build your personal and professional network with other leaders in Athens County 
  • Know more about the assets, opportunities, and challenges in our community
  • Learn about leadership: Your style and strengths, and about models and skills you can build
  • Prepare for leadership opportunities in our community 
  • Deepen your connection to Athens County


Photos by Scotty Hall

  • LAC Graduation 2020, 2021

    Photos by Scotty Hall

    12.11.25

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Pull up a Chair: September Newsletter

By Emily Prince • September 17, 2026
After the Storm: What Community Resilience Looks Like

Stacy Strauss is ACF's new Director of Finance and Administration

By Emily Prince • September 1, 2026
Please join us in welcoming our new Director of Finance and Administration, Stacy Strauss. Stacy looks forward to using her skills to strengthen our community! She brings energy, creativity, and a thoughtful approach to her work, along with a genuine ability to bring people together around shared goals. Her experience spans financial management, fundraising and grant writing, program development, business strategy, and developing materials that tell a clear, compelling story.  Just as importantly, she enjoys helping others grow. She has experience leading and training teams, building collaborative cultures, developing recruitment strategies, and finding practical, creative solutions to complicated challenges. Whether working with colleagues, community partners, or other stakeholders, she builds relationships rooted in trust, communication, and a shared commitment to advancing good ideas.

Fall Grant Applications Open

By Shayne Lopez • August 28, 2026
Athens County's greatest asset is its people. Every day, neighbors, organizations, and local leaders bring skill, creativity, and deep knowledge of this place to the work of building a stronger community. Our grantmaking invests in those strengths, because the best solutions are already growing here, led by the people who call Athens County home. Our grantmaking builds on the strengths already here by investing in the initiatives, people and organizations, relationships, skills, and ideas working to address longstanding challenges and pursue extraordinary opportunities. The deadline for applications for the Senior Fund has been extended to October 18, 2026! The Athens Jaycees Senior Fund The Athens Jaycees Senior Fund supports organizations and programs working to improve the lives of older adults (60+) in Athens County. This year, approximately $65,000 is available through ACF’s Fall Grant Cycle. We want to encourage organizations to think broadly about what supporting people as they age could look like. The Jaycees fund has deep local roots. In 2014, Housing for Athens Senior Residents donated $1 million to the Athens County Foundation to establish the fund following the sale of Heritage Commons Senior Housing. Heritage Commons itself began as an Athens Jaycees project in 1981, created to expand housing opportunities for local seniors. To date, the Jaycees Senior Fund has awarded more than $415,000 to support programs and services benefiting older adults across Athens County. What could an Athens Jaycees Senior Fund project look like? We’re inviting applicants to consider how their work could help make Athens County a community where people can remain active, connected, independent, and supported as they age. Projects might address housing, transportation, community and health services, social connection, healthy living, accessibility, caregiver support, or other needs and opportunities identified by older adults. The Jaycees Senior Fund intentionally remains flexible so that organizations can bring forward ideas grounded in what they are seeing and hearing in their communities. If your organization has an idea that could improve the experience of aging in Athens County, we encourage you to consider ACF’s Fall Grant Cycle to access the Jaycees Senior Fund. The deadline for grant requests supporting senior-related programs has been extended to October 18, 2026. For more information, please visit athensfoundation.org/grants. -------- If you’d like guidance in developing or strengthening an age-friendly program idea, we encourage you to reach out directly to Amy Lipka with Age-Friendly Athens County at alipka@athenspublichealth.org. The Athens City-County Health Department will also sponsor Healthy Aging Community Grants in early 2027.