Leadership
Our Leadership:
The Board of Directors at Learn To Grow, Inc. consists of a total of six board members. Please meet our President and our Executive Director:
Louella Conner
In 1998, Louella Con
nately know as “Grandma”, became president of the Board of Directors for Learn To Grow, Inc. Being deeply religious, Grandma promised to help the organization become a world-class community based organization, using nationally proven prevention models, strategies, programs, and business operations to demonstrate
our mission “to empower youth through positive youth development, and strengthen families and communities.” Under her guidance, evidenced based programs related to high risk youths, adults, families, and communities are being implemented and evaluated for success. Grandma says “the organization’s goal must be to generate self-empowerment, community mobilization, and long lasting results within the target communities--thereby attaining the ultimate goal of effective planned social change.” Grandma is also the Public Relations Director for Noah’s Ark Animals and Abused Children’s Home. She helped to establish the Butts County Humane Society, and served as mayor of Flovilla, GA. She is a past president of the Henry County Optimist Club, and received the 11 Alive Community Service Award for outstanding community service in 2001. Grandma currently serves on the board of a local food bank. She can also be found at the Learn To Grow facility mentoring youth and counseling families.
Vincent Vandiegriff has been in the field of prevention for over 16 years. He is the founder and Executive Director of Learn To Grow, Inc. (LTG). LTG’s mission is to “empower youth through positive youth development and strengthen families and communities”. Mr. Vandiegriff started servicing the Atlanta/Fulton County community through afterschool, summer, and parenting programs. His agency delivers substance abuse prevention programming to disadvantaged youth and adults. Prevention training over the years helped him to understand that individual and community change goes hand-in-hand. Today through his leadership, LTG is successfully implementing policy, systems, and environmental strategies to affect community level change regarding risk factors associated with alcohol and tobacco use among youth and adults in Fulton County, with proven results. His responsibilities and duties include organizing and participating in town hall meetings, teach-ins, lunch and learns, seminars, workshops and conferences to update and exchange pertinent information. He provides technical assistance to other community based organizations as well as other entities with similar interest in designing, implementing, and evaluation of intervention and outreach strategies. He has direct involvement with communities by conducting health fairs, demonstrations, and workshops. He researches and delivers program services based on needs assessment as he is Certified Trainer of Trainers of several Research Based Prevention Curriculums. He researches possible funding sources, develops and writes proposals. He develops programs, and evaluates other organizations programs for effectiveness. He hires and trains staff. He ensures that all staff members are culturally competent and they are trained to facilitate research based curriculums geared to reduce or prevent alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among youth and adults. He implements programs, supervises staff, monitors payroll, ensures that programs are fiscally sound, ensures compliance with state and federal audit requirements, prepares monthly, quarterly and annual reports, oversees day to day operations, interacts with contractors, develops cooperative relationships with other community organizations and agencies, and gives direction to organization. He is a youth leadership and advocacy facilitator. Mr. Vandiegriff is also the Chairman of the H.E.A.R.T. (Health, Education, Awareness, and Research on Tobacco) Coalition, a Drug Free Communities Coalition supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In 2007, he directed LTG in collaboration with the H.E.A.R.T. Coalition and assisted the Atlanta Public School System to adopt the CDC Model 100% Tobacco Free Schools policy. This policy prohibits the use of any tobacco products by anyone (student, teacher, and visitor) on the campus of school at all times, including school parking lots and vehicles; and all school sponsored sporting events. In 2008, he directed LTG in collaboration with the H.E.A.R.T. Coalition and assisted the Fulton County School System to adopt the CDC Model 100% Tobacco Free Schools policy. This policy prohibits the use of any tobacco products by anyone (student, teacher, and visitor) on the campus of school at all times, including school parking lots and vehicles; and all school sponsored sporting events. Through his leadership and collaboration with the H.E.A.R.T. coalition, including their youth team and parent team, and the Atlanta City Council, a Smoke Free Ordinance for the Atlanta Parks and Recreation Department was passed in July 2012. He was selected by SAMHSA to appear in a video cameo concerning the importance of empowering community members to address community problems. The video was placed on SAMHSA’s website and You Tube. He was the creator and leading force behind the LTG alcohol awareness campaign; “Before You Turn Up, Turn Over Your Keys”. This message specifically targets youth and young adults; and consists of PSAs, billboards, social media outlets, and printed materials. He was the driving force behind two members of the LTG Youth Team, which he developed, to attend the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids 10th annual Youth Advocacy Symposium, an annual tobacco conference in Wash DC. He received the 2013 Ray Avant Excellence In Prevention Award from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities’ (DBHDD) Office of Prevention Services and Programs for his outstanding contributions in the field of substance abuse prevention at the 2013 Georgia School of Addiction Studies.