STATESBORO — Two Effingham County residents have graduated from the seventh annual Leadership Southeast Georgia program.

LaMeisha R. Hunter and Steve Liotta were awarded their diplomas at the graduation ceremony held on March 29 at the Effingham County Chamber of Commerce.

There were 17 participants in the 2007-2008 Leadership Southeast Georgia class. The 10-county program was created in partnership with the Regional Advisory Council and Georgia Southern University.

The program gathers emerging leaders who were nominated by their own communities to attend six weekend sessions of leadership training, networking and skill-building.

Hunter is city planner for the city of Rincon. She has volunteered as a mentor for the Effingham County Board of Education and holds executive positions with the Black Women of Profession and Savannah Chatham Fair Housing. A participant in the Effingham County Leadership program, she received a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Georgia Southern University.

Liotta is county engineer for Effingham County. He has held executive positions with the United Way Effingham Service Center and the Goshen United Methodist Church. He received a degree in chemical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

For more information on the Leadership Southeast Georgia program, contact Deborah Champion at dchampion@georgiasouthern.edu.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers more than 120 degree programs serving nearly 17,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The university, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.