Fort Valley State University Hosts Statewide Electric Vehicle Awareness Conference
A Key Workforce Development Initiative in Partnership with the Georgia Network for Electric Mobility
Fort Valley, GA – November 14th, 2025
On September 25th, 2025, more than 200 participants, including students, local officials, educators, industry leaders, and even middle
school students, gathered at Fort Valley State University (FVSU) for the 2025 Electric Vehicle Awareness Conference, a first-of-its-kind event focused on expanding access, awareness, and opportunity in Georgia’s fast-growing electric mobility economy.
The conference served as a statewide workforce development initiative organized in partnership with the Georgia Network for Electric Mobility (GNEM), Georgia Power, and the Fort Valley State University Cooperative Development Energy Program (CDEP).
Designed to bridge classroom learning with real-world technology, the event brought together stakeholders from across Georgia’s rapidly evolving electric and advanced automotive sectors. The program featured interactive panels and live demonstrations focused on EV 101 topics, charging infrastructure, EV fire safety, workforce pathways, and the state’s growing role in vehicle electrification and manufacturing.
Speakers and exhibitors included representatives from Southern Company, SK Battery America, Kia Georgia, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Heliox by Siemens, Georgia Power, Flint Energies (Flint EMC), the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, along with other technical and workforce education partners from across the state.
The conference concluded with a hands-on Electric Vehicle Expo featuring more than 20 vehicles, including models from Kia, Rivian, Hyundai, Ford, Blue Bird, and other leading manufacturers, giving attendees the opportunity to explore technologies that are defining the future of transportation.
“Fort Valley State University is proud to be at the forefront of preparing Georgia’s next-generation workforce for the electric mobility transition,” said Dr. Isaac Crumbly, Director of the Fort Valley State University Cooperative Development Energy Program (CDEP). “This conference demonstrates the power of collaboration between higher education, industry, and government to ensure that every community, from rural towns to major cities, has a role in building the future of transportation.”
“Events like this connect our students directly with industry innovators who are shaping the energy and automotive sectors,” said Dr. Jackie Hodges, Associate Director of CDEP at Fort Valley State University. “By combining academic learning with hands-on exposure to electric vehicle technologies, we’re helping students and educators alike understand the opportunities emerging in this growing field.”
“Georgia’s electric mobility economy is one of the fastest-growing in the world, and the momentum we’re seeing at the community and educational level is extraordinary,” said Dr. Birgisson, Executive Director of the Georgia Network for Electric Mobility (GNEM). “Partnerships like this one with Fort Valley State University ensure that Georgia’s EV leadership is not just about manufacturing, but alsoabout people, skills, and statewide readiness.”
The Fort Valley conference builds on GNEM’s ongoing statewide efforts in community engagement, workforce development, industry partnership, and cutting-edge research and policy insights through its think tank arm, which collectively advance Georgia’s role in shaping the future of electric and connected mobility.
About the Georgia Network for Electric Mobility (GNEM)
The Georgia Network for Electric Mobility (GNEM) is a public-private partnership, industry consortium, and think tank advancing electric and connected mobility and advanced automotive manufacturing across Georgia and the Southeast. GNEM works to accelerate Georgia’s role as the burgeoning epicenter of global advanced automotive manufacturing and the mobility transition, convening partners across industry, government, utilities, and education.
For more information, follow @GeorgiaNetworkforElectricMobility or @GeorgiaeMobility on LinkedIn.
View photos from the event here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ugaengr/albums/72177720330250560/
