Brooks County Development Authority

Staff

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Tina M. Herring

Tina Herring is the Director of the Brooks County Development Authority in Quitman, Georgia. She was approached by the Board of Directors and accepted the position in April 2007. Since joining the BCDA, she has worked diligently to promote economic development in Brooks County through the attraction of new businesses and aiding existing industries in maintenance or expansion of their operations. To date, two new business locations have resulted in 300 jobs and over $9 million in private investment along with $1.6 million in State grant/loan funds.

Prior to working at the BCDA, Tina worked at the South Georgia Regional Development Center (RDC), where she headed the grants department and assisted a nine-county region with State and Federal funding resources directly related to economic development and community improvement. Tina's experience at the RDC has been an asset to Brooks County. Under her direction, $2 million dollars was awarded by the State and Federal governments to assist with the financing needed for the construction of infrastructure within the new Brooks County Industrial Park.

Tina is a member of the Georgia Economic Developers Association, South Georgia Partnership, South Regional Joint Development Authority, Quitman-Brooks County Airport Authority, and the Quitman-Brooks County Chamber of Commerce. She received her BA in Business Administration from Valdosta State University and has completed job training at the GA Academy of Economic Development, the University of Georgia's Fanning Institute and the short course for Economic Development at Georgia Tech's Institute for Economic Development.

Lauren A. Basford

Lauren Basford is the Assistant Director of the Brooks County Development Authority in Quitman, Georgia. She accepted the position in September of 2011 and currently works with the City of Quitman and the Brooks County Board of Commissioners to attract new industry and assist existing industries. Lauren also assists in writing grant applications for the Development Authority, city and county.

Lauren was born and raised in Brooks County and is a 1996 graduate of Westbrook School. She attended Georgia State University in Atlanta where she maintained Dean's List and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts Degree. While living in Atlanta, she worked for the Barbara Archer Gallery specializing in folk & outsider art exhibitions. After moving to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida in 2004 she became a Sales & Marketing Associate at Alys Beach, a premier luxury resort community. As the top-grossing sales agent, Lauren was personally responsible for over $24,500,000 in real estate sales.

Lauren volunteers much of her time with Destination Brooks-The Quitman/Brooks County Tourism Project which she helped establish along with fellow members of the Leadership Brooks Class of 2009. Destination Brooks seeks to generate economic opportunities in Brooks County by promoting its historic, cultural, architectural & agricultural assets. Lauren has been recognized by the Quitman-Brooks County Chamber of Commerce, receiving the 2010 Woman of the Year Award and is on the board of the Quitman-Brooks County Museum & Cultural Center, Chamber of Commerce, and City of Quitman Development Authority.