ACCG Civic Affairs Foundation Welcomes Jones Management Consulting Interns
The ACCG Civic Affairs Foundation was created to advance civic and community engagement in Georgia’s counties. Using the generous financial support of longtime ACCG ally Al Jones, the Foundation established the Jones Management Consulting Internship program to develop and share information and best practices among counties aimed at improving citizens’ health and well being.
As an initial approach to this goal, interns are gathering, analyzing, and reporting information using geographic information system (GIS) capabilities that merge a variety of statistical databases with cutting-edge, data-mapping technologies. This approach will enable government leaders and decision makers to not only see how their own counties are doing across a spectrum of key indicators, but to see how their counties compare with others in their region and statewide.
Clayton County native Ricky Roby is a magna cum laude and high honors graduate from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and genetics. Roby is currently pursuing both a Master of Public Health in epidemiology and a Master of Science in geosciences at Georgia State University as he recognizes the growing importance of GIS within the field of epidemiology and public health. In 2012, he participated in a GIS study abroad program in Belize where he was involved in mapping projects for both local communities and the Belizean government. This experience encouraged him to pursue a career in the public sector that will allow him to combine his interests in health and wellness mapping, health disparities and social justice. As a Jones Management Consulting intern, Roby’s work entails compiling geo-databases that consist of county level information, creating spatial maps with significant findings, and presenting the research and potential intervention strategies to county and other government officials.
Joanna Sanders of Forsyth County is a recent graduate of Georgia State University (GSU) with a Bachelor of Arts in geography and a concentration in GIS. Her love for GIS was discovered after taking an introduction to geography course. Prior to attending GSU, Sanders was Mercer University student where she pursued coursework in environmental studies. Over the years, she has been an active resident of her local communities volunteering with various homeless, animal, and environmental non-profit organizations in Atlanta, Macon, and her hometown of Cumming. During her time with the Foundation and Jones Management Consulting, Sanders will research health and wellness issues of Georgia counties in order to build databases with those significant findings. Her goals are to expand her GIS skills through job experiences and to eventually work within a GIS department in a local government while continuing to volunteer in her community.
