Clear and timely communication is a key part of every organization’s success – in good times and bad. As director of strategic communications in University Communications and Marketing, Gary Leftwich uses skills honed through a 27-year career in newspapers and corporate messaging to ensure the University of West Georgia keeps its various audiences connected and informed.
Gary, who joined the university March 7, describes his new role as a homecoming of sorts.
“I remember sitting in class and being amazed at the access I had to some incredibly talented and iconic journalists like former Newsweek bureau chief Joe Cumming,” said the 1990 graduate. “West Georgia still offers that level of instruction and connection with faculty. I’m excited to be back on campus during a period of tremendous growth and opportunity.”
Prior to working with UWG, Gary spent 16 years with Southwire Company, where he helped grow the global wire and cable maker’s corporate communications department.
An original member of the Blackshirts – a team of employee volunteers who work through Southwire’s Project GIFT to build stronger communities – he spent the last few years strengthening the company’s community outreach efforts. Working with a team of more than 30 giving back coordinators, he helped Southwire’s manufacturing plants and distribution centers stay connected with their cities and towns.
Drawing on his experience as a journalist, Gary managed the company’s relationships with local, state, and national media and served as its company spokesperson. Having worked with the Newnan Times-Herald as an intern, Gary joined the paper’s staff briefly in 1990 and returned as a general assignment reporter and, later, business editor after earning a master’s degree in journalism from the Henry Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia.
Active in the Carrollton community, Gary served on the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors and as the chamber’s chairman in 2013. He has been a board member of Carroll Tomorrow, the Carroll County Boys and Girls Club, the Carrollton Kiwanis Club, the Rotary Club of Carrollton, and the Carroll County Symphony. He has worked with other organizations, including the Georgia Press Association, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, and Toys for Tots.
“I look forward to helping strengthen UWG’s close ties to the community,” Gary said. “It’s a great time to be a wolf.”
