A staff member and graduate student at the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development are receiving recognition for their work in promoting leadership development throughout Georgia.

This spring, Fanning Institute Director Matt Bishop named Lauren Corcino and Alexa Arndt as this year’s Sisson Community Leadership Development Award recipients.

The award annually recognizes outstanding work by faculty, staff and graduate students engaged in community leadership programming in underserved communities around the state.

Both awardees will receive funding to pursue professional development and continuing education activities.

“Both Lauren and Alexa do a tremendous job in supporting, evaluating and communicating the impact that the Fanning Institute has on communities and organizations,” Bishop said. “Through their quality work, they have earned this honor and the opportunity to further their skill sets by way of the Sisson Award.”

Corcino, public relations coordinator at the Fanning Institute since 2018, is responsible for helping implement all aspects of the institute’s public relations, marketing and communications functions.

“This award will allow me the opportunity to attend a graphic design conference that will further elevate my design skills to continue supporting the tremendous work of our faculty,” Corcino said. “I am very honored to receive this recognition and I am grateful to the Sisson family for their support of the institute.”

Arndt, a doctoral student in higher education, joined the institute in 2019 and supports research and evaluation initiatives, and programmatic efforts.

“Receiving the award was a wonderful surprise and I am very excited and honored,” Arndt said. “As I head into the fourth year of my doctoral program, I look forward to utilizing the award to gain additional skills and complement my work here at Fanning. I appreciate the Sisson family’s generosity and the opportunity the institute has afforded me through this award.”

The award is made possible through the Dan Sisson Community Leadership Development Fund.

“The generosity of Dan Sisson, a member of our advisory board, makes this possible,” Bishop said. “We appreciate his commitment to the institute’s work across Georgia both through his support of our faculty, staff and students, as well as his service to our advisory board.”

Sisson has served on the advisory board since its inception in 2014 and created the Dan Sisson Community Leadership Development Fund in 2017.

“Having seen firsthand how leadership education and community development can positively impact communities, I am proud to be able to support the Fanning Institute’s mission and those who perform that work each and every day,” Sisson said.

Along with the monetary award, the institute recognizes Sisson Award winners through a permanent wall display at the J.W. Fanning Building on the UGA campus.