2020 Summit Program:
Shirley Sherrod Shared Her Story at the 2020 Summit

Ms. Shirley Sherrod, former USDA Georgia State Director of Rural Development and current Executive Director of the Southwest Georgia Project for Community Education, was selected as the 2020 IGEL Summit speaker. Ms. Sherrod and her husband, Charles, were co-founders and directors of New Communities, Inc., a communal farm project in Lee County, Georgia.

More than fifty years later, Sherrod continues to work on behalf of black farmers in Georgia. We were excited to have Ms. Sherrod as she brought the southwest, rural, African American farming perspective from her unique background with this part of the State.

About the Summit:

Held in January on the last day of Session 5, the IGEL Summit offers alumni a chance to re-GEL with classmates past and present, network with our IGEL Program partners, and celebrate the work our alumni do everyday to protect the environment.

Current IGEL sponsors, the graduating class and the incoming class all receive complimentary tickets to the Summit. Discount codes are emailed from "IGEL" ([email protected]) with the subject line "Your Comp. IGEL Summit Tickets" beginning when the registration link goes live in late October.

The annual event is open only to IGEL alumni and program sponsors. If you or your organization is interested in becoming a Summit sponsor (or sponsoring another IGEL Session), please check out our Sponsorship Opportunities and email Diondra Powers at [email protected].