Getting to know our CEO

We think it’s important to know who your Chamber & CVB staff are, their expertise, their experience and who they are. This week on our “Getting to Know” series, we sat down with our Chamber & CVB CEO, Leah Poole. This series of blogs will focus on our staff so you can get a better understanding of who you’re chatting with on the phone, meeting at a luncheon or networking with at Business After Hours.

Life…

Leah grew up in Riceboro, on the east end of the county. Running around hunting clubs, playing tag with the other kids, eating from the big table that everyone contributed to and enjoying the tradition of loving and appreciating the outdoors were the foundation of her younger years. She’s a proud graduate of Liberty County public schools. She then attended Brenau University and Armstrong University (now known as Georgia Southern University) where she studied English and Mass Communications.

 

Her favorite things to do

A communications, marketing and community engagement veteran, she worked as the Executive Director of the United Way of the Coastal Empire. In 2011 she became the Chief Executive Officer of the Liberty County Chamber/Liberty County CVB. With one teenage son and two rescue dogs, there is never a dull moment!  She enjoys reading, cooking, being on the water and riding on dirt roads.

 

Things you probably didn’t know…

• During her high school years, she was the editor of the Panther Press, the Liberty County High School newspaper.
• She was the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) scholar for Liberty County.
• She got to meet Truett Cathy (founder of Chick Fil A) and has an autographed copy of one of his books.
• She wrote a play once! Seriously. An epistolary play, she was able to find old letters on eBay from a soldier, stationed at then Camp Stewart, to his sweetheart in the 1940’s!

What is a must-do for visitors?

She feels a visitor to Liberty County should definitely not miss the chance to be at or on the water! “Most people don’t realize that we’re one of six truly coastal counties. Kayaking, boating, fishing, swimming, paddle boarding, whatever your water sport of choice is I’m sure we have it. Or if you just like to sit and watch the water roll past, we’ve got plenty of rocking chairs,” she said.

 

Accomplishments

• In 2016 she received the Larry Allen Tourism Leadership Award from Governor Nathan Deal, which recognizes an individual who demonstrates excellence in leadership skills and abilities.
• In 2018 she was listed in Georgia Trend’s 40 under 40 which celebrates the state’s best and brightest in business, government, nonprofits, education, healthcare, banking and professional sports.
• The Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Association presented her with the Laucenia B. Frasier Community Service Award this past January.
• GeorgiaForward recently selected her as one of the 50 evolving professionals to serve the organization’s 2022 Young Gamechangers (YG) program. Young Gamechangers brings professionals from across the state to work on the persistent challenges of one Georgia community.

 

We are happy to have Leah as our team leader. She is always excited to help people #ExploreLiberty.