Memorandum from Mary Kay Murphy
Mary Kay Murphy, Ph.D. District 3  School Board Member marykaymurphy@aol.com

October 31, 2011

Nearly seventy leaders of Gwinnett County and Metro Atlanta traveled to San Francisco for the sixth Strategic Leadership visits to learn best practices from local, regional, and national leaders.

Each visit has focused on regional collaboration in the areas of transportation, water and other natural resources, the arts, education, small businesses, and leadership development.

“We strategically choose to visit our nation’s most well-known communities so that we can take away something to implement in Gwinnett and the Metro area,” said Jim Maran, President and CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.

“We live in a successful and vibrant community, one we have been chosen to lead, and one that can only improve with continued vision and leadership from the best.”

Transportation—Sharing Lessons Learned was the first area of our focus. Brian Allen, Director of Transportation for Gwinnett County, led a walk-ride study of best practices in regional transportation planning and development.

We traveled by bus to the Contra Costa Village to learn about the Contra Costa Transit Authority and transit-oriented developments, including mixed use living, retail, work, and leisure areas.

Alternative forms of travel, including electric cars, battery-charged vehicles, bicycles, buses, and Rapid Transit rail focused on the benefits of taking cars off the road and turning drivers into pedestrians. We returned to our hotel via a one-hour trip on BART—the Bay Area Rapid Transit System—whose origins date back to the early ‘70s.

Venture Capital Investment took center stage on the second day. We walked from our hotel to the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR). There we found a convener of community consensus and trust focused on regionalism and on redevelopment of neighborhoods, businesses, and brands.

In a discussion on “Entrepreneurial Investment—Access to Capital,” entrepreneurs with Southern roots shared their experience in seeking capital in Atlanta and in the Bay Area.

Ian Sobieski, a Virginia Tech Ph.D. graduate, of The Band of Angels, a venture capital  investment group of approximately 130 entrepreneurs, traced the Band’s process of identifying and supporting innovative technology leaders. Jeff Haynie, a Vanderbilt graduate, spoke of his experience from start-up to sustainability with his firm, Accelerator.

The education focus provided insight into San Francisco’s and California’s preparation of urban students for the 21st Century. Berney Kirkland, Chief of Staff for GCPS, led presenters in study of K-12, community college, and workforce development. Sally Corbett of Art/Works Gwinnett followed with a panel and tour of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Tammy Shumate of
Brand Mortgage led a discussion of leadership development with John Legnitto, Chairman of the San Francisco Chamber and its Leadership Development Foundation.

Take-aways from the visit include focus on the following:
regional transportation and funding;

•role of CIDs in community redevelopment;
•vigilance in funding public and higher education;
•leadership development in all sectors of Gwinnett and Metro Atlanta;
•Gwinnett Chamber’s focus on growing small businesses and recruiting new
•ventures to Gwinnett.

Perhaps the best take-away of all came from John Rennels of the Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (BART) when he observed that our seventy-member delegation from Gwinnett and Metro Atlanta was unique in his experience.

“I have never seen a group of seventy leaders come so far to learn so much.” Rennels said.

“You are to be commended for your leadership and commitment as you prepare your community for its regional future.”

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