One county leader is bringing a new level of specialized training to the table.
Vice Chairman and District 5 Commissioner Timothy “Timmy” Oliver has become the first commissioner in Emanuel County history to earn a specialty track certification through Association County Commissioners of Georgia’s (ACCG) Lifelong Learning Academy (LLA), sitting in on the last of two classes needed to complete academy’s Intergovernmental Relations (IR) track during the organization’s 2026 conference in Savannah on April 23-27.
The achievement goes beyond the standard county commissioner certification.
Before a commissioner can begin working toward a specialty track, he or she must first complete ACCG’s core certification program, a 66-hour curriculum that includes mandated orientation for newly-elected commissioners and additional coursework in county government, county law, leadership, economic development, human resources, property appraisal and taxation, public safety, and public health.
Commissioner Oliver completed his core certification in 2023 within two months of taking office.
From there, he continued building on that foundation through advanced Lifelong Learning Academy coursework designed to help commissioners develop a deeper understanding of specific areas of county government.
“I remember signing up for every class I could. ACCG actually put me on the waitlist for a few classes because I was signing up for so many. They told me I needed to give everybody else a chance to sign up because the classrooms have max capacities,” Oliver said about his excitement to specialize.
After completing core certification, commissioners may pursue specialty tracks in eight focus areas: Citizen Engagement; County Operations and Management; Economic and Community Development; Intergovernmental Relations; Leadership Development; Public Safety; Quality of Life and Social Issues; and Revenue and Finance.
Each class is worth six hours of credit. Commissioners must attend the full duration of each class in order to receive a certificate of completion and have the course counted toward their record. Specialty tracks are completed through a combination of primary hours, which come from courses assigned directly to a specific track, and crossover hours, which come from related courses in other tracks that also support the specialty area.
That crossover structure means commissioners may take different routes to the same specialty certification. In Commissioner Oliver’s case, his Intergovernmental Relations certification came through a combination of primary Intergovernmental Relations courses and related crossover courses in Citizen Engagement, County Operations and Management, and Revenue and Finance.
His primary IR coursework included Working with School Boards and Authorities; Successfully Negotiating Service Delivery Strategy; Navigating Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) Without Getting Lost; Building Your City-County Relationships; and The Art of Negotiation. Together, those classes addressed some of the most direct ways county governments interact with cities, school systems, state requirements, taxing structures, regional partners, and other public entities.
His crossover hours came through Bringing People Together, Managing Meetings, and Intergovernmental Agreements and Private Partnerships. While those courses are housed under other specialty areas, each one also strengthened his Intergovernmental Relations track by focusing on the communication, structure, partnerships, and meeting processes that help governments work together effectively.
“The Intergovernmental Relations track made sense to me because so much of what we do as commissioners depends on working with other people and other agencies,” Oliver said. “The county does not operate by itself. We work with cities, school boards, authorities, regional commissions, state agencies, and private partners. If you do not understand how those relationships work, you can slow things down without meaning to. I want to be someone who helps move things forward.”
Oliver said the structure of the program allowed him to build toward the certification in real time as he completed courses that connected across multiple areas of government.
“One class may be listed under one track, but the information can apply to several parts of the job,” Oliver said. “That is one thing I really like about the Lifelong Learning Academy. It shows you how connected everything is. Like, a class about managing meetings is not just about meetings. It’s also about communication, process, order, and making sure people can work through issues the right way.”
Among the classes he completed, Oliver said the last one he took, Intergovernmental Agreements and Private Partnerships, was the most formative. Not only did he gain valuable takeaways from his classmates who were from different counties across the state, he was also able to share some of his lived experience as a commissioner.
“Just 18 months ago, Hurricane Helene drew Emanuel County a little closer together. We had to form IGAs between us and every municipality in the county. We had private partnerships with debris clean-up companies and private companies within the county, helping us make the initial push to get all the main roads open so public safety could safely travel the roads. That alone shows how important it is for us at the county and the other municipalities to be working in the same direction. That is how you act in Emanuel County citizens’ best interest.”
The historic nature of the accomplishment is not lost on Oliver, who said being the first Emanuel County commissioner to complete a specialty track is meaningful because of what it represents for the county at large.
“Every one of us is in training. [District 3 Commissioner] John [Moore] just finished his core,” Oliver said.
Chairman Jim Sherrod is just 12 hours shy of his own specialty track. District 1 Commissioner Kawame Coleman and District 2 Commissioner Ricky Thompson are relatively newly core certified and therefore are not as far along in their own specialty tracks, but they’re in progress nonetheless.
“I think it shows that we the board take this kind of training seriously. Our citizens deserve commissioners who are willing to learn, ask questions, and keep getting better. If being the first to complete a specialty track encourages somebody else to do the same, then that is a good thing for the whole county.”
Oliver is already making progress in other specialty areas and is expected to next pursue either Economic and Community Development (ECD) or Public Safety (PS). His completed coursework has already provided credit toward 30 hours for the ECD track and 12 hours for the other through classes connected to intergovernmental agreements, city-county relationships, demographics, strategic partnerships, and community growth.
“Economic and community development is something I want to keep focusing on because every decision we make today has an impact on where Emanuel County is going to be years from now. We need jobs. We need opportunity. We need strong local businesses. I’m a businessman myself. We need to be ready when growth comes, and we need to be smart about how we prepare for it. That is why I want to continue learning in that area,” Oliver said.
He continued, “On the other hand, public safety is an attention-getter because it’s a big line item in the budget, but it’s also what makes [residents] feel safe. When someone calls 911, that’s a vital service. People have to know that someone is coming to help, they’re coming to help fast, and when they get there, they’re going to know exactly what to do. I believe we’ve got some of the best emergency workers in the state. I’m fortunate that I get to work alongside them from time to time as a volunteer firefighter. We need to keep it that way. So you could say this Public Safety track is personal to me, too.”
For Oliver, continued training through the learning academy reflects a larger belief about public service: elected officials should never stop learning the work they have been entrusted to do.
“I have always been the kind of person who wants to understand something all the way through,” Oliver said. “I do not want to know just enough to get by. I want to know why something works, how it works, who it affects, and what we can do better. These classes help me look at county government from every angle, and the more I learn, the better I can serve the citizens of District 5 and Emanuel County as a whole.”
“I would like to personally thank County Clerk Halei Lamb for keeping the Commissioners updated with their latest training records and the path towards our next milestone. Without Halei doing this I am not sure that I would have finished this specialty track so soon. Though a lot of these classes require our time and being away from family, we don’t want to forget the ones behind the scenes that do all the footwork for us. Thanks to all the staff in The Board of Commissioners Office for doing a fantastic job, stated Commissioner Oliver.”
All LLA classes are organized and sanctioned by ACCG and taught by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government (CVIOG). The partnership between ACCG and CVIOG, now more than two decades strong, provides county officials across Georgia with specialized education designed to strengthen local leadership and improve county governance.
“The Lifelong Learning Academy is critical to educating county officials about the challenges they may encounter in public service,” ACCG Executive Director Dave Wills said. “County leaders who prioritize furthering their education are better equipped to address those challenges and are assets to their communities. I commend Commissioner Oliver for his unwavering dedication to understanding his community.”
The LLA was created with input from county commissioners who identified courses based on the issues and decision-making challenges regularly faced by county officials. To ensure the curriculum remains relevant and engaging, the ACCG Lifelong Learning Committee—comprised of county commissioners and staff from both ACCG and UGA’s CVIOG—meets regularly to review and adjust accordingly. Through this collaborative approach, the academy has successfully equipped county officials with the skills necessary to meet the evolving needs of their constituents.
Commissioner Oliver will be formally recognized for completing the certification program during a future ACCG-sanctioned event.
[Editor’s note: The Blade will publish a brief update at that time.]
All commissioners’ complete LLA training records are available on their respective biographies on the county website.
ACCG is Georgia’s county association and works on behalf of county officials and their communities by providing public policy and legislative advocacy, leadership development, civic and community engagement initiatives, insurance and retirement programs that specialize in local government needs and other cost-saving programs. Formed in 1914 when county officials came together to help fund the state’s first highway department, ACCG today serves as a catalyst for advancing Georgia’s counties. For more information, visit www.accg.org.
Timothy “Timmy” Oliver serves as Emanuel County’s District 5 commissioner and vice chairman of the Emanuel County Board of Commissioners. A lifelong Emanuel County resident, he was elected in 2022 after making his first bid for public office and took his oath in January 2023. In addition to his service on the commission, Oliver brings experience as a volunteer firefighter, first responder, youth recreation coach, small business owner, and current appointee to the airport authority, the Twin City-Emanuel County Recreation Department board, and the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in Twin City with their soon-to-be five children.
The Emanuel County Board of Commissioners governs Emanuel County, focusing on legislative and administrative responsibilities. Comprised of representatives from five districts, the board oversees policies and programs that impact local development, budgeting, and public services. Commissioners work collectively to ensure fiscal responsibility and address community needs, collaborating with other county departments and agencies. They are committed to supporting economic growth, public safety, and community well-being across Emanuel County.
For information about the commissioners and for the latest from the county government, visit 124 North Main Street in Swainsboro; call 478-237-3881; follow us on Facebook; or visit www.emanuelco-ga.gov.
