How IGEL Is Building a Leader-Full Climate Future for Georgia

Chapters

00:23 Meet Monica Thornton and Beth Blalock 

01:14 Monica’s Path into Environmental Leadership 

02:15 Beth’s Path into the Environmental Sector 

04:15 The Origin Story of IGEL 

06:20 What Drew Monica and Beth to the Program 

10:48 Why You Should Apply to IGEL 

12:45 The Application Timeline and What Makes a Strong Application 

17:07 The Most Valuable Lessons from IGEL 

19:38 What’s Giving Monica and Beth Hope

When it comes to solving complex environmental challenges, Georgia doesn’t need more division. We need more connection.

That’s exactly what the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership (IGEL) offers: a powerful, people-centered experience that brings together changemakers from across the state to build trust, deepen understanding, and lead boldly toward a more sustainable future.

In this edition of the Georgia Climate Digest interview series, host and IGEL graduate Eriqah Vincent sits down with Monica Thornton, IGEL graduate and board member, and Beth Blalock, IGEL graduate and facilitator, to talk about what makes the program so transformative.

What Is IGEL, and Why Was It Founded?

Beth explains that IGEL was founded more than 20 years ago, at a time when Georgia’s environmental disputes were largely settled through lawsuits and conflict. The program was built on a simple question: what if people who don’t share the same views, industries, or backgrounds sat down and actually talked to one another? Rather than pushing specific policy solutions, IGEL creates the space for that conversation, spanning nine months of place-based sessions from the mountains to the coast.

What Makes IGEL’s Peer-to-Peer Model So Different?

Both Monica and Beth point to the same thing when asked what sets IGEL apart: it’s not lecture-based. Each cohort of 30 to 34 participants, drawn from government, business, nonprofit, academia, and grassroots communities, learns from challenging and supporting each other over nearly a year together. “The purpose really is to challenge your viewpoint,” Beth says, “and the way we challenge your viewpoint is to bring you with people who don’t think like you.”

Why Should You Apply, Even If You’ve Been Rejected Before?

The application process is genuinely competitive, and Monica, now an IGEL board member, is candid about that. Some applicants apply more than once before getting in, and both Monica and Beth encourage people not to be discouraged. Applications typically open in late summer, run through the fall, and decisions come out by year’s end, with strong letters of recommendation, especially from IGEL alumni, carrying real weight.

What Lessons Stuck with Monica and Beth Long After Graduating?

Both women point to something more personal than professional: understanding their own values and lens, and learning to genuinely respect perspectives very different from their own. As Eriqah puts it, some of her own IGEL classmates were people she never expected to find common ground with, until she did.

Whether you’re a city planner, teacher, farmer, or nonprofit leader, this conversation offers a clear look at why IGEL has built such a devoted network of alumni across Georgia’s climate and environmental community.

What You’ll Learn

• Why IGEL was founded as an alternative to resolving environmental disputes through lawsuits and conflict.
• How the nine-month program is structured, and what a typical session looks like.
• Why IGEL’s peer-to-peer learning model sets it apart from typical leadership programs.
• What the application process looks like, and why persistence pays off.
• The personal lessons Monica and Beth carried with them long after their IGEL cohorts ended.
• What gives Monica Thornton and Beth Blalock hope about Georgia’s climate future.

Continue reading in our companion blog to learn more about Monica and Beth’s experiences with IGEL, and how to apply for the upcoming cohort.

Download the Interview Transcript

Prefer to read the conversation instead? Download the complete PDF transcript of this interview with Monica Thornton and Beth Blalock to explore their insights on IGEL, peer-to-peer leadership, and building trust across Georgia’s environmental community.