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February 23 & 24, 2026
An Immersive Leadership Experience
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Speakers

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Tickets

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February 23 & 24 2026 An Immersive Leadership Experience

 

2025 Speakers

Dr. Denise Watts

Dr. Denise Watts

Wendall Dallas

Wendell Dallas

Erik Qualman

Erik Qualman

Bonneau Ansley

Bonneau Ansley

Mariana Atencio

Mariana Atencio

Don Yaeger

Don Yaeger

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The fifth forum is taking place on February 23 & 24, 2026 at Kehoe Ironworks Building at Trustees’ Garden in Savannah, Georgia.

 

The Southeast Georgia Leadership Forum is a two-day event that brings together more than 400 leaders representing neighborhoods, non-profits, civic groups, government, businesses, and emerging leaders.

Organized by Metro Market Media, with the generous support of Georgia Southern University, Georgia Port, Morris Multimedia and Georgia Power, the forum aims to help our community succeed in an ever-changing and fast-paced society. It focuses on discovering our collective potential to be greater by committing to new ideas, supporting the growth of our emerging and established leaders, and being purposeful in building collaboration across all segments of our diverse community.

By working together, we can make our communities stronger and better.
Morris Multimedia

Georgia Southern University

MMM V 3.0

Georgia Power

Georgia Ports

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The Forum

The Southeast Georgia Leadership Forum will provide attendees with compelling and thought-provoking content focused on building stronger leaders and greater collaboration in our local communities while providing opportunities for personal and professional growth.

The Speakers

The Leader

Leadership is a skill that needs nurturing and knowledge is power. The Southeast Georgia Leadership Forum will feed your mind with thought-provoking content, leadership skills, collaborative connections, and the professional and professional growth intelligence you need to be a successful leader.

The Program
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The Tour

Learning about our region is an important part of your leadership development.  With a menu of tours available for our attendees, the Southeast Georgia Leadership Forum will provide an engaging and informative opportunity for leaders to choose an area of interest and dig deeper – all while networking with your fellow attendees.

Affordable Housing and Homelessness

Housing is in crisis across the country and in our area, it is no different with thousands of new homes needed to meet current and future projections. So, what are we doing to help our neighbors to meet their housing needs? This multi-stop tour will look at our local housing challenges and will highlight services working with individuals and families to overcome homelessness and to establish safe, stable housing.
 

Ports and Logistics

The Port of Savannah is home to the second busiest container port on the US East Coast. With its annual rapid growth, the Georgia Ports has become a vital economic engine to our state and nation, with an ecosystem of logistics companies and suppliers calling our area home. This tour will take you on a visit to the port and others in the supply chain of our economy.
 
 

Savannah College of Art and Design

In 2023, the Savannah College of Art Design (SCAD) provided more than $1.3 billion in economic impact for the state of Georgia, with more than $1 billion for the Savannah area. Started in 1979 with 71 students, SCAD now has 17,500 students across its three campuses in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia and Lacoste, France.  Its students come from more than 120 countries and SCAD offers more than 100 academic degree programs.  This multi-stop tour will take you on a visit to some of the inspiring and creative learning spaces that SCAD offers its students as the preeminent source of knowledge in the disciples it teaches.

Tourism and Hospitality

With annual visitor spending exceeding $4.7 billion with more than 30,000 employed in the tourism and hospitality sector of our local economy, Savannah continues to receive accolades for its charm, history and hospitality.   With 69% of Savannah's visitors being repeat travelers, the tourism and hospitality community continues to evolve with new and improved options for business and leisure guests alike.  This multi-stop tour will explore the visitor economy in Savannah, including a visit to the newly expanded Savannah International Trade and Convention Center and other new options for those visiting our beautiful city.
 

Workforce Development

A 2023 study performed for the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) recommended a new workforce development organization focused on meeting opportunities and challenges as Hyundai and its suppliers ramped up its construction.  The Regional Industry Support Enterprise, known as RISE, was born in 2024.  While new, RISE has been busy working on six focus areas to broaden opportunities for the regional workforce, including the military, underrepresented communities, housing, education, transportation, and marketing.  This multi-stop tour will bring you to up to speed on the latest efforts being made by this important new regional initiative.
 

Start becoming the leader you've dreamed of — a leader worth following.

Learn everything you need to navigate your professional journey to success while collaborating and networking with leaders from across the community.

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Fueling the Leader

We intend to inform and delight leaders from the private and public sectors, challenge leaders to think differently and boldly, with a bias towards action while building a bench of leaders for generations to come. Discover strategic solutions from a diverse group of world-class presenters who are all innovative experts in their respective fields.

The FAQs

The Company We Keep

The 2025 Southeast Georgia Leadership Forum idea grew from a diverse group of volunteers whose desire is to cultivate a new approach to leadership training so we can make our communities stronger and better. It is about taking our communities to the next level.

The Sponsors
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