For Immediate Release:
Monday, October 24, 2022
Media Contact:
Kathryn Jones 770-813-3388
Council for Quality Growth Announces Recipients of 13th Annual CID Awards
John Shern & Emory Morsberger to be Recognized for Regional Impact and CID Leadership
ATLANTA – The Council for Quality Growth announces its 13th Annual Community Improvement District (CID) Recognition Reception on November 15th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. hosted on the rooftop of the Comcast Center at The Battery Atlanta, presented by the Cumberland CID and Georgia Power.
The Council’s CID Recognition event annually acknowledges the work of all our metro CIDs and presents two awards to carefully nominated and selected CID leaders that have greatly impacted the region. The John Williams CID Leadership Award recognizes a CID volunteer, and the CID Professional Excellence Award recognizes a CID industry professional.
The 2022 recipient of the John Williams CID Leadership Award is John W. Shern, retired Vice President of Construction at The Home Depot. Shern currently serves as Chairman of the Cumberland CID. Having been a part of its founding board in 1988, Shern is the longest serving board member of a CID in the state of Georgia. He was an integral part of the 1984 legislation that allowed for the creation of community improvement districts in Georgia, and his work has established the precedent for dozens of other CIDs across the state to follow. “We can’t talk about CIDs in Georgia without mentioning John Shern,” said Michael Paris, President & CEO of the Council for Quality Growth. “John has established the overarching vision for how CIDs should operate to deliver vital improvements to communities. We are honored to recognize his work with this year’s John Williams CID Leadership Award.”
Shern has played an instrumental role in several of the Cumberland CIDs notable transportation projects, including the Cumberland Boulevard Loop, the Kennedy Interchange, and the Cobb Parkway Pedestrian Bridge. During his tenure as Board Chairman, Shern has overseen millions of dollars of investment in Cumberland, creating an estimated $23.6 billion in annual economic impact to Georgia.
The recipient of the 2022 CID Professional Excellence Award is Emory L. Morsberger, Executive Director of the Gateway85 CID and President of the Tucker-Summit CID. Morsberger has a long career serving CIDs and other community revitalization efforts throughout the metro Atlanta region. He’s successfully founded three CIDs, including Gateway85 in 2005, where he served on its board before taking the helm as Executive Director in 2019. He also helped to create the Lilburn CID and the Tucker Summit CID, the latter of which he still serves as President of the Board.
Morsberger led the redevelopment of downtown Lawrenceville, having earned him an induction to the Redevelopment Champion Hall of Fame at last year’s 2021 Metro Atlanta Redevelopment Summit (MARS) Awards. “Emory has spent decades working tirelessly to improve every community he touches,” said Al Edwards, 2022 Chairman of the Council for Quality Growth. “We are honored to have Emory as a long-standing member of the Council’s Board of Directors, and we could not be prouder of his commitment to transforming our region.” Having served as a former Georgia House Representative, Morsberger also had a hand in the legislation passed for CID creation. In addition to his current roles at the Gateway85 and Tucker Summit CIDs, Morsberger runs his own property management firm in Gwinnett and has recently spearheaded an effort among Atlanta-based Rotary clubs to provide relief and supplies to the warn-torn Ukraine.
Shern and Morsberger will be recognized and presented with their respective awards at the Council for Quality Growth’s CID Recognition Event on November 15th.
For details about Community Improvement Districts or the 13th Annual CID Recognition, please visit www.CouncilforQualityGrowth.org/CIDs.
About the John Williams CID Leadership Award
The John Williams CID Leadership Award recognizes volunteers who have played an instrumental role in championing CIDs around the metro Atlanta region through their vision, leadership, and dedication. Previous award recipients include Governor Roy Barnes, Senator Johnny Isakson, Tad Leithead, Kerry Armstrong, Bob Voyles, Mason Zimmerman, and David Allman.
About the CID Professional Excellence Award
The CID Professional Excellence Award is given annually to a CID Executive Director, staff member, or contractor recognizing an individual’s commitment to professional excellence through leadership in successfully investing in critical transportation infrastructure and quality of life improvement projects to enhance the district’s economic vitality. In 2020, Gerald McDowell of ATL Airport CIDs received the inaugural award, followed by Ann Hanlon of the Perimeter CIDs in 2021.
About the Council for Quality Growth
The Council for Quality Growth is a trade organization that works to ensure continued growth and economic success for generations to come by providing advocacy, information, and education to its members. Committed to the mission of promoting balanced and responsible growth, the Council is proactively involved in the formulation of policy and legislation critical to the growth and development industry. The Council addresses, head-on, strategic economic planning, infrastructure needs, and tough quality-of-life issues throughout the metro Atlanta region and state. www.CouncilforQualityGrowth.org.
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