GeorgiaForward recently selected Dr. Tonya Woolfolk as one of the 50 evolving professionals to serve the organization’s 2022 Young Gamechangers (YG) program. YG is a unique leadership action program hosted by GeorgiaForward, a non-profit organization administrated by the Georgia Municipal Association. Young Gamechangers brings professionals from across the state to work on the persistent challenges of one Georgia community.

In 2022, Dalton-Whitfield County will host the YG. Dalton leaders have finalized their four “challenge questions” that the 2022 cohort will answer through the six months they will spend developing specific, actionable recommendations for the community. These questions evolve around redevelopment, education, community engagement and more.

Dr. Tonya Woolfolk serves as the Coordinator of Science for grades K-5 in the Houston County School District. As Coordinator, she organizes the science curriculum for 24 elementary schools while providing professional learning for over 1,000 elementary teachers and administrators. Tonya has previously served as a high school science teacher, department chair, and assistant principal.

“I am looking forward to not only providing recommendations to help advance Dalton-Whitfield County, but also meeting and learning more from fellow innovators from across the state of Georgia,” Woolfolk said. “This is such a wonderful opportunity to use my skills in a new and exciting way.”

The 2022 YG cohort will meet for the first time in the city of Dalton on April 27 and their work will culminate with a community presentation of their findings and recommendations in late September.

“The timing is perfect for the Young Gamechangers program to come to the city of Dalton to bring fresh ideas and perspectives as our community continues to grow and evolve,” said City Administrator Andrew Parker. “There are so many exciting projects taking place within the city over the next few years, and the Young Gamechangers will help us continue to think critically about how to best position the community for long term success.” 

Previous YG Host Communities are Americus-Sumter County, Dublin-Laurens County, Douglasville-Douglas County, Augusta-Richmond County, LaGrange-Troup County, Milledgeville-Baldwin County, Albany-Dougherty County and Monroe-Walton County.