Georgia Chamber Hosts 2025 Rural Prosperity Summit

TIFTON – Today, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2025 Rural Prosperity Summit at the University of Georgia Conference Center in Tifton. The Rural Prosperity Summit is an annual event convening hundreds of Georgia business, political, and community leaders dedicated to creating vibrant, robust communities throughout the state.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes and Caylee Noggle, President and CEO of the Georgia Hospital Association served as headline speakers at the 2025 Rural Prosperity Summit. A full list of speakers, presenters, and moderators is available below. A recording of the 2025 Rural Prosperity Summit will be available shortly on the Georgia Chamber’s YouTube channel.

During the Rural Prosperity Summit, Blue Ridge-Fannin County received the 2025 Rural Community of the Year Award. Locate South Georgia, the Downtown Development Authority of Madison, and OneGeorgia Authority Director, Gina Webb were announced as the winners of the 2025 Rural Champion Awards. Click here for more information on the Rural Community of the Year and click here for more information on the Rural Champion Awards.

Georgia Power served as Presenting Sponsor for the 2025 Rural Prosperity Summit.

Rachel Santos, Director, Sales and Industry Relations at Premium Peanut and Chair of the Georgia Chamber Rural Prosperity Council said:

“Rural Georgia is essential to our state’s economic success. The Rural Prosperity Summit and the work of the Rural Prosperity Council bring leaders together to engage and learn about resources, innovation, and opportunities. I am proud that the Georgia Chamber recognizes the importance of rural Georgia, because when rural Georgia prospers, all of Georgia prospers.”

Tiffany Holmes, Deputy Director of the Georgia Chamber Foundation and Director of the Center for Rural Prosperity said:

“From disaster recovery to housing, healthcare, workforce, and economic development, rural Georgia continues to set the standard for collaboration and perseverance. That dedication helped Georgia once again earn the title of the number one state to do business. At the Rural Prosperity Summit, we celebrated that commitment while helping to sustain rural Georgia’s economic prosperity.”

The full list of speakers, panelists, and moderators is:

Presenting Sponsor Remarks

• Scott Purvis, Regional Economic Development Manager, Georgia Power

Opportunity at Work: Building Stronger Rural Economies

• Bárbara Rivera Holmes, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Labor

Strengthening Rural Resilience: Disaster Preparedness for Communities and Economies

Panel Discussion

• Emily Courson, Executive Director, Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce

• Michele Johnson, President, Greater Vidalia Chamber 

• Lisa Smart, Executive Director, Berrien County Chamber of Commerce & Development Authority

• Moderated by: Tiffany Holmes, Deputy Director, Georgia Chamber Foundation

Foundations for Growth: Tackling the Rural Housing Shortage

Panel Discussion

• Jason Holt, Mayor, City of Fitzgerald

• Travis Wimbush, Mayor, City of Blakely

• Tiffany Zeigler, Mayor, City of Pembroke

• Moderated by: Daniela Perry, Executive Director, Georgia Chamber Foundation

Rural Awards Luncheon

• Rural Champion Awards

• Rural Community of the Year Award

Closing the Gaps: Addressing Rural Healthcare Challenges

Featured Session Speaker

• Caylee Noggle, President and CEO, Georgia Hospital Association

Panel Discussion

• Dean Burke, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Community Health

• Sally Perry, Divisional Vice President, Universal Health Services, Inc.

• Scott Steiner, President and Chief Executive Officer, Phoebe Putney Health System

• Moderated by: Glenda Grant, Executive Director, Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center

###

About the Georgia Chamber

Founded in 1911 and incorporated in 1915, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce is the largest business advocacy organization in Georgia, working to protect free enterprise and secure our long-term economic prosperity. The Georgia Chamber represents tens of thousands of members in every corner of the state, with offices in Atlanta, Brunswick, and Tifton. In 2025 the Georgia Chamber launched Georgia|2050, a strategic plan to ensure Georgia remains a beacon of economic opportunity for the next 25 years. For more information visit gachamber.com.