- 20 Doyle Street, Toccoa GA PO Box 340
- brittany@scda.biz
Leadership
Our Leadership
Meet Our Staff and Board Members
Our dedicated staff and board members ensure that our combined efforts to support our existing businesses and recruit new ones provides a positive impact on the community. Our staff members are the very heart of the Stephens Couunty Development Authority, and their hard work and dedication complement the vitality and growth of our county.

Brittany Ivey
President & CEO

Brittany Ivey
President & CEO
Brittany Wilkinson Ivey is a Toccoa-Stephens County native. She worked previously at the Stephens County Development Authority from 2014-2017, serving as Assistant to the Executive Director then Assistant Executive Director.
Ivey left SCDA in 2017 and served as a Federation Manager for Georgia Farm Bureau until returning to SCDA in March of 2021. Ivey graduated from the University of Georgia in 2006 and is currently working to become a Georgia Certified Economic Developer through UGA. She was named Stephens County’s Chamber of Commerce Young Professional of the Year in 2017 and selected to serve on former President Trump’s 2017 Healthcare Listening Session.
Ivey and her family are active members of Tates Creek Baptist Church where she currently serves as a Sunday school teacher and Girls in Action (GA) Coordinator. Ivey and her husband Chad, a local businessman, have three children. Alli Kay, Colsen and Gus.
Ivey left SCDA in 2017 and served as a Federation Manager for Georgia Farm Bureau until returning to SCDA in March of 2021. Ivey graduated from the University of Georgia in 2006 and is currently working to become a Georgia Certified Economic Developer through UGA. She was named Stephens County’s Chamber of Commerce Young Professional of the Year in 2017 and selected to serve on former President Trump’s 2017 Healthcare Listening Session.
Ivey and her family are active members of Tates Creek Baptist Church where she currently serves as a Sunday school teacher and Girls in Action (GA) Coordinator. Ivey and her husband Chad, a local businessman, have three children. Alli Kay, Colsen and Gus.

Brian Akin
Board Chairman

Brian Akin
Board Chairman
Brian Akin, President/CEO of the North GA Credit Union in Toccoa and a current director and Immediate Past Chairman for the League of Southeastern Credit Unions.
He graduated from North Georgia College and State University with a BBA in Accounting.
Brian is a former chairman of the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce. He is also a current director and Vice Chairman of Affiliates Consolidated Services and Board Chairman for the Southeastern Credit Union Foundation.
Brian and his wife Kelly have two daughters, Tessa and Abby.
He graduated from North Georgia College and State University with a BBA in Accounting.
Brian is a former chairman of the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce. He is also a current director and Vice Chairman of Affiliates Consolidated Services and Board Chairman for the Southeastern Credit Union Foundation.
Brian and his wife Kelly have two daughters, Tessa and Abby.

Rick Phillips
Treasurer

Rick Phillips
Treasurer
Rick Phillips was born and raised in Toccoa Georgia. After serving in the US Army
for 8 years and civilian law enforcement for 5 years, Rick medically retired from law enforcement. He has been in the corporate investigations and security industry since 1985 and founded The Phillips Group in 1990.
Rick is an active member in the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and the American Society for Industrial Security. He also holds almost every major certification in the corporate security industry.
Rick has served on the Henry County Planning and Zoning Board, and the Toccoa-Stephens County Airport Authority. He was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to the Rural Development Council and the Georgia Rural Healthcare 180 Task Force.
Rick and his wife, Letha Walters Phillips, live in Toccoa and are active members of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Rick is an active member in the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and the American Society for Industrial Security. He also holds almost every major certification in the corporate security industry.
Rick has served on the Henry County Planning and Zoning Board, and the Toccoa-Stephens County Airport Authority. He was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to the Rural Development Council and the Georgia Rural Healthcare 180 Task Force.
Rick and his wife, Letha Walters Phillips, live in Toccoa and are active members of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Lisa Lawson
Board Member

Lisa Lawson
Board Member
Lisa Lawson, North Georgia Community Outreach Advisor for WoodmenLife. A lifelong resident of Stephens County, Lisa opened a salon at age 19 and was owner and operator of “Lisa’s Hair Gallery” for 15 years. After selling the salon, she was employed by UGA Extension Service as the 4-H Program Assistant and later took a position with Stephens County as the Senior Center director.
She is a board member of the Toccoa Stephens County Chamber of Commerce and currently serves as the chairperson. She has also served on the Ninth District Opportunities board as well as the North Georgia Housing Authority board.
Lisa and her husband Billy live in Toccoa and are members of First Baptist Church.
She is a board member of the Toccoa Stephens County Chamber of Commerce and currently serves as the chairperson. She has also served on the Ninth District Opportunities board as well as the North Georgia Housing Authority board.
Lisa and her husband Billy live in Toccoa and are members of First Baptist Church.

David Austin
Board Member

David Austin
Board Member
David Austin is the current Mayor of Toccoa having been elected to the Toccoa
City Commission in 1999. From 1996 to 2000 he was a member of the Toccoa
Planning Commission and served as its chairman. He is a past board member and serves on the board of the Stephens County Development Authority.
He has served as a director of the Georgia Municipal Association, President of the 13 county District Two of the Georgia Municipal Association, director of the GMA’s Training Board, Chairman of the GMA’s DC/DC board. He is a board member of the Georgia Mountain Regional Commission.
He attended Toccoa Falls College and received an honorary Doctor of Letters from the college in 2009. After a forty year career in radio and television broadcasting, he retired in 2011. He is married to Michelle Austin and has two children and three grandchildren.
He has served as a director of the Georgia Municipal Association, President of the 13 county District Two of the Georgia Municipal Association, director of the GMA’s Training Board, Chairman of the GMA’s DC/DC board. He is a board member of the Georgia Mountain Regional Commission.
He attended Toccoa Falls College and received an honorary Doctor of Letters from the college in 2009. After a forty year career in radio and television broadcasting, he retired in 2011. He is married to Michelle Austin and has two children and three grandchildren.

Dennis Bell
Board Member

Dennis Bell
Board Member
Dennis Bell is a Stephens County native with 20 plus years of law enforcement
experience. Commissioner Bell is currently serving as Police Chief in Comer, Ga.
Commissioner Bell is a State Certified General and Specialized instructor and has taught classes to law enforcement officers throughout Georgia. He has also completed several hundred hours of Supervision, Management, and Executive classes from the state as well as the Federal Training Centers throughout the Country. He is serving his second term as a Board Member for the Peace Officers Association of Georgia. Commissioner Bell is a Certified County Commissioner through the Association of County Commissioners.
Commissioner Bell is a State Certified General and Specialized instructor and has taught classes to law enforcement officers throughout Georgia. He has also completed several hundred hours of Supervision, Management, and Executive classes from the state as well as the Federal Training Centers throughout the Country. He is serving his second term as a Board Member for the Peace Officers Association of Georgia. Commissioner Bell is a Certified County Commissioner through the Association of County Commissioners.