Executive Director
kathy.oxford [at] cityofbarnesville.com (Kathy Oxford) began her economic development career here in Barnesville in 1993 as the Executive Director of the Barnesville-Lamar County Chamber of Commerce and Industrial Development Authority.
She moved on to the Georgia Department of Economic Development as a Regional Project Manager and most recently was a Senior International Trade Manager working with small to medium size companies across Georgia to help them expand their export sales.
Kathy was with the Department 18 years with the Regional existing industry support team helping companies utilize state resources to address a broad range of business challenges and opportunities. In 2006, she moved to the International Trade Division for an opportunity to focus on what more and more companies were turning to—exports—as a way to expand their sales reach and manage what was the beginning of a severe economic downturn in the US economy. She was part of the team who won the President's E-Star Award twice meaning we provided exemplary work with Georgia exporters. This distinction is extremely rare.
She is a Certified Economic Developer through the International Economic Development Council, a graduate of the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management and a graduate of Georgia Southern University with a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations.
She rejoined the IDA in February of 2017 in an effort to bring home many of the skills and relationships she acquired in her career and re-engage with the community she has called home for almost 30 years.
She started the first Leadership Lamar Class in 1994.
She is active with Lamar Gives 365, Barnesville Rotary Club, Barnesville-Lamar County Chamber of Commerce and Dolly Goodpuppy Society, She served as President of the Burnsville Rotary Club and was awarded Rotarian of the Year in 2020-21. In 2023, she was elected to the prestigious Hall of Honor by the Board of Directors of the Barnesville Rotary Club. She also served as Assistant Governor.
Kathy is a member of the Barnesville First United Methodist Church and married to her husband, Mike of 24 years.