October 02, 2007

GSW alumnus named to Georgia Trend's 40 under 40

AMERICUS—It’s that time of year again, the crisp winds of fall are beginning to blow; college students are getting settled in on campus; and Georgia Trend Magazine has recognized another outstanding class of successful young businessmen and women in the annual 40 Under 40 list.

Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) is fortunate to have its third graduate in the past three years named to the coveted group. Dwayne Myles, class of 1999 and 2002, made this year’s list. Myles is the president and CEO of the United Way of Southwest Georgia, and he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration from GSW.

A 2006 inductee to the Georgia Southwestern Athletics Hall of Fame and former executive director and CEO of the Food Bank of Southwest Georgia, Myles attributes his successes in business to a competitive spirit, strong management skills and a zeal for the non-profit sector.

‘My passion is helping people and developing the communities where people live,’ said Myles in an excerpt from Georgia Trend online.

In view of his accomplishments, Myles’ passion is quantifiable. As executive director of the Food Bank, he inherited a budget in the red, a warehouse of only 15,000 square feet and a yearly food distribution of 1.8 million pounds per year. Not only did he put them in the black, but he increased the Food Bank’s square footage by 30,000 square feet and bettered the amount of food distributed by over 3 million pounds per year.

Myles’ goals for the future are ambitious. He plans to increase the fundraising efforts of the United Way of Southwest Georgia from $2 to $4 million. He understands this is not a small task. As a former champion on the basketball court, Myles said that he enjoys a good challenge.

During Myles’ four-year basketball career at GSW, the Hurricanes went 107-27 and won three regular season conference championships. Meanwhile, Myles attained the record for points scored with 2,397 and was selected first team All-Conference three times.

“Georgia Southwestern is proud of its many distinguished alumni,” said President Kendall A. Blanchard. “We like to think of their success as a validation of the education they received while in school at GSW.  We feel a special pride when someone like Dwayne Myles, who was a great success as a student here, goes on to accomplish great things in his career and who is recognized so widely for those accomplishments.”

Myles and his wife, Alex, live in Leesburg and have three children, Micaiah, Michael and Mikelle.

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