Governor's Policy Director Erin Hames Selected as 2010 Toll Fellow

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that Erin Hames, who serves as Policy Director for the Office of the Governor, has been selected as one of 40 emerging state leaders from across the nation to participate in the prestigious Toll Fellowship Program sponsored by The Council of State Governments (CSG).

“Erin has helped lead our state through one of the most challenging economic times we have ever seen,” said Governor Perdue. “She has played a vital role in ensuring we are focused on our top policy priorities.”

The annual week-long seminar, named in honor of Henry Toll, a Colorado senator who founded CSG in 1933, seeks to develop the next generation of leaders from all three branches of state government. This year’s program, held in Lexington, Ky. in August, focuses on trends analysis, policy development, media and constituent relations, and leadership and institutional changes. The experience gives these leaders perspectives they would not ordinarily obtain during the course of their regular governmental service.

Hames was nominated by Governor Perdue. She was selected from many outstanding applicants by a committee of state elected and appointed officials as one of the most promising leaders of state government. This year’s applicant pool included state leaders from all three branches and represented 36 states and three US territories. Past Toll Fellowship graduates include governors, US Senators and members of Congress, as well as leaders in state government.

The Council of State Governments is the premier multi-branch organization forecasting policy trends for the community of states, commonwealths and territories on a national and regional basis. CSG alerts state elected and appointed officials to emerging social, economic, and political trends; offers innovative state policy responses to rapidly changing conditions; and advocates multistate problem-solving to maximize resources and competitiveness. CSG promotes excellence in decision-making and leadership skills and champions state sovereignty.

For more information about the Henry Toll Fellowship Program, please contact Krista Rinehart at (859)244-8249.

A biography of Hames is below:

After graduating from the University of Georgia's College of Education, Erin taught at Wakefield Middle School in Raleigh, North Carolina for three years. There she was named “First Year Teacher of the Year” and served on the School Improvement Team. Upon leaving North Carolina, Erin returned to her home state where she enrolled in law school at Georgia State University. She graduated with honors in May 2008. While in law school Erin worked in Governor Perdue’s office as a Legal Fellow and Education Policy Analyst. After graduating from law school, she began serving as Governor Perdue’s Education Policy Advisor, advancing the Governor’s legislative and policy agenda on all education-related issues from preschool to higher education. She currently serves as his Policy Director and continues to advise him on education issues. Erin and her husband, Ben, reside in Atlanta.

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