Penfield College to Provide Workforce Development Training for GreyStone Power Corporation

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ATLANTA – Penfield College of Mercer University will offer an executive leadership development program for employees of Atlanta-area member-owned electric cooperative GreyStone Power Corp. as part of the company's GreyStone University initiative.

“This new and exciting program is consistent with our college's emphasis on preparing working adult learners for effective, creative and ethical leadership and our desire to serve the workforce development needs of the metro Atlanta area,” said Dr. Priscilla Danheiser, dean of Penfield College.

GreyStone Power, located on the west side of Atlanta, serves portions of Bartow, Carroll, Cobb, Coweta, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton and Paulding counties, and is one of the largest electric membership corporations (EMCs) in Georgia with more than 6,725 miles of power lines. As a cooperative owned by the people it serves, GreyStone offers electricity as well as ancillary services through Gas South, GEMC Federal Credit Union and EMC Security. Its affiliations include Georgia Electric Membership Corporation, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, Georgia Transmission Corporation, The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Touchstone Energy Cooperative and Green Power EMC.

“I am extremely pleased GreyStone has entered into this partnership with an industry leader such as Mercer University,” said James Wright, vice president of corporate services at GreyStone Power. “Mercer has provided GreyStone with a curriculum that was built from the ground up to meet our specific needs.”

Penfield College faculty members – led by Dr. Lynn Clemons, associate professor of organizational leadership and chair of the Department of Leadership Studies – will offer this program to GreyStone employees beginning in September and concluding in August 2015.

“We are looking forward to working with GreyStone on this program, which was specifically designed by the faculty to meet the needs of GreyStone's leadership team,” said Dr. Clemons.

Seminars designed for the corporation's executives, managers, supervisors and foremen will focus on multiple components of leadership in the workplace, including leadership development, strategic planning, emotional intelligence, communication and teambuilding.

In the field of organizational leadership, Penfield College offers a Saturday master's degree program with concentrations in organizational development and change leadership, non-profit leadership, and health care leadership at its Atlanta, Macon and Henry County locations, as well as an undergraduate degree at its Atlanta, Macon, Douglas County and Henry County locations.

The Department of Leadership Studies has provided leadership development training programs for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Piedmont Medical Care Corporation, Piedmont Heart Institute and Wyle Corporation, as well as executive coaching for Piedmont Healthcare's Physician Leadership Academy.

About Penfield College of Mercer University

Penfield College of Mercer University, established as the College of Continuing and Professional Studies in 2003, is committed to serving non-traditional learners and currently enrolls more than 1,300 students. Undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs are offered to working adult learners seeking professional advancement into leadership roles in and beyond their communities. Educational programs provide students with distinctive, multidisciplinary programs that integrate theory and practice. The College offers general education and elective courses for various colleges and schools at Mercer. Another initiative called the Bridge program transitions students enrolled in Mercer's English Language Institute and other international students to undergraduate programs throughout the University. Areas of study include organizational leadership, counseling, school counseling, human services, human resources, informatics, public safety leadership, nursing preparation, liberal studies, psychology and communication. Programs are offered on Mercer's campuses in Atlanta and Macon, as well as multiple regional academic centers in Douglas County, Henry County, Newnan and Eastman, and online. To learn more, visit penfield.mercer.edu.