Savannah, Ga., January 2, 2013 - Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society (GHS), has once again been named by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians. Dr. Groce has led GHS, the independent, statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia history, for the past 18 years.
“For the 15th year, Georgia Trend has compiled a list of the 100 Most Influential Georgians, representing business, government, nonprofits, education and the arts,” said Susan Percy, editor of Georgia Trend. “Some of the names are familiar to all of our readers, and some represent individuals who wield their influence behind the scenes. But all of them impact citizens of the state in some fashion.”
Education forms the cornerstone of the Georgia Historical Society’s mission as Georgia's center for the study of history, with a library and archives that contains the oldest and most comprehensive collection of materials on Georgia history in the nation. GHS also publishes cutting-edge research in the award-winning Georgia Historical Quarterly, manages the Historical Marker Program for the State of Georgia, trains K-12, college, and university teachers, and produces Today in Georgia History in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting. The Society also produces the Georgia History Festival, an annual K-12 education program that culminates with the induction by the Governor of the Georgia Trustees, two leading Georgians whose accomplishments are recognized by their inclusion in the august body that founded the colony of Georgia in 1733.
Headquartered in Savannah with an office in Atlanta, GHS has over 6,000 members and nearly 200 affiliates in 80 counties.
Dr. Groce assumed the duties of executive director in 1995 and in 2006 he was elected the institution’s 43rd president. Dr. Groce was educated at the University of Memphis, and at the University of Tennessee, where he earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in history. GHS has grown under Dr. Groce’s leadership developing over a dozen new programs, privatized its previously state-operated library and archives, strengthened and expanded its publications, and enhanced and expanded its statewide visibility, services, and presence.
The selections are made by the editorial staff of the magazine.
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Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining and teaching Georgia history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation.