On March 13-14, 1989 in Macon, Georgia a group of 35 like-minded individuals came together to discuss forming a leadership program for those involved in the agriculture industry. Seeing that other states had successfully formed similar programs and understanding the need for specialized leadership education in our state, the Georgia AgriLeaders Forum Foundation was formed. From the first cohort graduating in 1993, to the final Agrileaders class in 2009, there were 17 groups comprised of over 300 individuals that successfully completed this program.

In 2009 when the Agrileaders Foundation dissolved, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources agreed to take on this program under the rebranded name of Advancing Georgia’s Leaders in Agriculture and Forestry and appointed a faculty member to lead the efforts of leadership development for both participants in the agriculture and forestry industries.