For Rob Fowler, '81, the CEO and partner of Turner, Wood & Smith Insurance in Gainesville, Georgia, success is a function of valuing what others have to say.
"Effective leaders are good listeners who seek to understand what's being said," Fowler said. "If ego gets in the way or there's a hidden agenda to leadership, are you really listening?"
Fowler's experience shows the wisdom of that approach. In 2005, he founded Vision 2030, a coordinated group of volunteers leading long-term initiatives, defined by the citizens, to position Gainesville-Hall County as the most enviable community in Georgia by the year 2030. In his five years as chairman, Vision 2030 received more than 4,000 ideas from residents, many of whom had never been asked what they wanted their community to look like.
"So many of these efforts came because people dreamed big and we put a plan together," Fowler said.
He is serving a two-year term as president of the Northeast Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America in 2022-23 and was the board chairman for the North Georgia Community Foundation for a two-year term in 2020-21.
Fowler received the Ralph Cleveland Distinguished Citizen Award and the Silver Beaver Award in 2020 from the Northeast Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He also earned the 2020 Gainesville/Hall County Man of the Year Award from the Gainesville Rotary Club. He is a 1997 graduate of Leadership Hall County and a 2006 graduate of Leadership Georgia.
A Distinguished Military Graduate with a degree in political science, Fowler served 10 years in the U. S. Army and Army Reserve in military intelligence. His last military assignment was as commander of the Army Reserve's 212th Heavy Equipment Transportation Company in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Fowler was in the Corps of Cadets at the same time as three future generals: retired Lt. Gen. James Terry, '78, retired Lt. Gen. William Burke Garrett, '81, and four-star Gen. Stephen Townsend, '82. The impact of those fellow cadets remains for Fowler, who was a battalion commander and Student Government Association president his senior year.
"They set a great example, and being in the corps leadership, you wanted to emulate those guys," Fowler said.
Longtime UNG Dean of Students Mike Hyams also left an indelible mark on Fowler.
"He never put me off or said he didn't have time. He always made time," Fowler said. "He did so many things. It amazed me how much energy he had. That's carried over to me. He was a leader in so many areas of UNG campus life, and he was my first mentor who played a huge part in my success at UNG."
He met his wife, Leslie Hester Fowler, '81, at UNG, and they celebrated their 40th anniversary in February 2022.
"Leslie has played a huge role in my success both at UNG and in my career as she been so supportive and helped me juggle my busy schedule," Fowler said.
