Emerging Professionals Mentorship Program
Learn from experienced professionals!
The Statesboro Bulloch Chamber Foundation’s Emerging Professionals Mentoring Program is a seven-month, comprehensive professional development initiative designed to empower emerging professionals through coaching, support, and skill development. This program offers a structured framework for positive change and community engagement for rising talents seeking personal and professional growth.
Program Details:
- Duration: Seven months; first meeting is a meet and greet
- Format: 60-minute in-person sessions
- Mentee-to-Mentor Ratio: 5:1
- Tuition: $500
Who are Emerging Professionals?
We’re looking for men and women with no more than 7 years of experience working in a professional environment, including those transitioning from education to the career field and those seeking to advance their careers or explore new opportunities.
Key Objectives:
- Mentorship: Pairing individuals with experienced mentors who provide guidance and encouragement tailored to individual needs.
- Skill Development: Offering workshops and seminars focused on essential life skills, leadership development, and career advancement.
- Networking and sharing insights: Build lasting connections with a network of vibrant community leaders where you can brainstorm and share ideas.
- Community Engagement: Encouraging active participation in community service projects to foster a sense of responsibility and social awareness.
- Personal Growth: Facilitating discussions and activities aimed at enhancing emotional intelligence, resilience, and personal well-being.
What to expect
Structure: Participants engage with their mentors in monthly sessions that will focus on key subjects to help them develop personally and professionally. Additionally, to enhance the learning experience, participants can, on their own time, attend workshops led by experts in various fields and participate in community events outside of scheduled meeting times. There may also be additional requirements to complete outside of the session days, such as reading or meeting as a small group.
Impact: The Emerging Professionals Mentoring program aims to create a lasting impact by empowering individuals to become leaders in our community, equipped with the skills and support needed to achieve personal and professional success.
Meeting dates:
- April: Meet and Greet
- May – October: Meet once per month
Application Process
Applicants are selected based on their individual qualifications through a comprehensive application process. All applications are treated confidentially, ensuring anonymity during the selection process. Please ensure your application provides accurate information to allow the Selection Committee to assess your eligibility based on your current skills and commitment to business and community involvement. Additionally, participation requires authorization and full support from your employer. Program spots are non-transferable.
Application period closes April 10, 2026
Program Commitment: I have cleared my schedule for the designated dates, and if selected to participate, I commit to attending all sessions. I confirm that I am at least 21 years old. I understand that program tuition is due upon acceptance into the mentorship program and that I am personally responsible for any tuition not covered by my employer.
Absence Policy: Mentees must attend all sessions to complete the program. However, members may have one excused absence with no consequences. Participants missing more than one session will be immediately dismissed from the program, with no refund of tuition.
The SBC Marketing Academy is powered by:
Introducing our Mentors
Jenny Foss
Jenny Starling Foss has been telling the stories of Statesboro as Editor of Statesboro Magazine since 2007. A longtime resident and proud graduate of Georgia Southern University, Jenny considers Statesboro her true hometown after growing up across South Georgia as the daughter of a Methodist minister.
Her career spans leadership roles in hospitality, sales, and marketing before transitioning into publishing, including serving as editor of Georgia Southern’s football game day program, Flight. Deeply committed to community service, Jenny has served as president of the Averitt Center for the Arts and the Statesboro Convention & Visitors Bureau, and currently serves on several local boards. She is a 2002 graduate of Leadership Bulloch.
Jenny loves a good story and believes the people of Statesboro are what make the community exceptional. Outside of work, she enjoys life on the Foss Family Farm, Southern literature, and time on the Georgia coast.
Joel Hanner
Joel Hanner serves as the Statesboro Area Manager for Georgia Power Company, where he oversees power delivery, customer service, sales, and community and economic development efforts across Bulloch, Candler, Emanuel, Evans, and Screven counties.
He began his career with Georgia Power in 1999 in the Power Delivery Organization as a Distribution Engineer and has since held a variety of roles with increasing responsibility, including Customer Service Supervisor, Local Manager, External Affairs Manager, and Area Manager. Throughout his career, Joel has actively supported and led numerous nonprofit, civic, and community initiatives across Georgia.
Joel earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida after completing the pre-engineering program at Georgia Southern University.
Since moving to Statesboro in 2022, he has completed the Leadership Bulloch program and serves on several local boards, including the Ogeechee Technical College Foundation, the Blue Mile Foundation, the Statesboro Food Bank, and United Way of Southeast Georgia. He also Chaired the Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors in 2025 and is a member of the Statesboro Rotary Club.
Joel resides in Bulloch County with his wife, Salina, and their daughter, Julia.
Crystal Simpkins
This is Crystal Simpkins’s 23rd year in education, and she is currently working as the Director of Early Learning and Literacy for Bulloch County Schools. As the Director of Early Learning and Literacy, she is responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of Bulloch County Schools’ prekindergarten programs and early learning and literacy initiatives.
Simpkins manages all aspects of Bulloch County Schools’ prekindergarten programs to maximize effectiveness and ensure compliance with all state and federal programs and reporting. She also facilitates stakeholder meetings for ongoing collaboration with selected 0-5 literacy community partners, which make up the Bulloch County Literacy Council. The Bulloch County Literacy Council was created to allow collaboration with community partners to expand early learning and literacy to children ages 0 – 5 years.
Before serving as the Director of Early Learning and Literacy, Simpkins served as an Assistant Principal at Sallie Zetterower Elementary School, here in Statesboro, and as an elementary, middle, and high school teacher, while living in Georgia, Louisiana, and South Carolina.
Simpkins is married to Reggie Simpkins, and they have three daughters, Isley, llah Grace, and Reagan Makenzie, and a fur-baby, their English Bulldog, Kash.
Trish Tootle
Trish Tootle is a well‑known community leader and connector in Statesboro, Georgia, whose energetic presence and commitment to service have made her a familiar and beloved figure in the region.
Trish’s career path led her from early work in design and retail into banking, where she currently serves as the Community Relations Officer at Morris Bank—a role in which she builds partnerships and fosters relationships with local organizations and causes.
Trish’s passion for community engagement extends far beyond her professional responsibilities. She has volunteered or served on boards for a wide range of nonprofit and civic groups, including the Kiwanis Club of Statesboro, Ogeechee Area Hospice, the Statesboro‑Bulloch County Chamber of Commerce, the Statesboro Police Officer’s Foundation, and many others. She has served more than three decades of teaching children about Christ and directing Vacation Bible School.
Ken Wang
Weikang “Ken” Wang joins the Parker College of Business from Northwood University, where he was a full-time faculty member for 14 years and Faculty Athletic representative for 9 years. He won the Faculty Excellence Award, the highest award a faculty can earn at Northwood University in 2014. Ken also won the Faculty Ethics Award and Teaching Excellence Award twice, as voted by students. Ken has management and marketing experience with the largest adult beverage company in North America (Seagram), and one of the biggest consumer goods companies in Germany (Reemstma). He has also worked for the United States Olympic and Chinese Olympic Committees. Ken is passionate about developing the future leaders of free global enterprise society.
Ken has served as a member of the board of directors for Downtown Statesboro Rotary Club since 2023. He was voted as “Professor of the Year “ by Georgia Southern student athletes in 2025.
Chad Wiggins
Chad Wiggins is a resident of Bulloch County living in Statesboro, GA his entire life. He is the Market President for Synovus in Statesboro/Metter. With 30 years of banking experience, Wiggins has worked in many areas of the bank but has extensive experience with commercial clients being banked in the Market.
His community involvement past and present includes local American Red Cross Chairman, Wesley Foundation Chairman, Goodwill of Southeast Georgia Finance Chair, Volunteer Coach for all three children in numerous sports through Recreation Department, Downtown Rotary Club Member and former President, Elder at Connection Church, Chairman of the Bulloch County Public School Foundation, President of the Statesboro High School Sports Boosters, Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce Chairman and board member of Simmons Strong Foundation. Chad is married to Nancy Yawn Wiggins and they have three children and one grandchild.