Writer: Sharon Dowdy
Published November 14, 2023
Jackson Progress-Argus
Butts County District 1 Commissioner Ken Rivers has been recognized by the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) for completing the ACCG Lifelong Learning Academy.
Rivers and other commissioners across the state were presented with achievement certificates during the 2023 ACCG Legislative Leadership Conference. He completed the core requirements in the Lifelong Learning Academy, a collaborative project between ACCG and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia.
County officials receive supplemental training and educational tools through the academy. With abundant courses from which they may choose, every county official has a tailor-made learning experience that allows them to excel in specific areas of expertise.
“The Lifelong Learning Academy is critical to educating county officials about the challenges they may encounter in public service,” said ACCG Executive Director Dave Wills. “County leaders who prioritize furthering their education are better equipped to address those challenges and are assets to their communities. I commend Rivers for his unwavering dedication to understanding his community.”
The Lifelong Learning Academy 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 course requirements and curriculum remain relevant and engaging, the ACCG Lifelong Learning Committee — composed of county commissioners and staff from both ACCG and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia — meet regularly to review and adjust accordingly.
Rivers was elected in 2016 and took office in the 119th Session (2017) of the Board of Commissioners, becoming the 70th person to be elected as a County Commissioner of Butts County. In 2020, he ran unopposed for re-election and began his second term in January of 2021.
In October 2017, he completed the requirements to become a Certified County Commissioner from UGA and ACCG. He was elected Vice Chairman in 2018 and as Chairman in 2019 and 2020.
He represents the north, northeast and eastern portions of Butts County including Worthville, Jackson Lake and Stark. Rivers, an insurance professional, is a graduate of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development and a 2017 graduate of the Certified County Commissioner program through the University of Georgia and ACCG.
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.
