Zachary Propes, '09, has served in a variety of leadership roles for Hall County Government in Georgia. He took over as county administrator in January 2023 after serving as assistant county administrator since 2019. Propes first began work with the county as financial services director in 2015.
Through each of his roles, Propes has seen the value of bringing stakeholders together.
"Everybody has something they're trying to move forward," Propes said. "When you focus on collaboration, you create more wins for the community. When you focus on compromise, someone's losing."
Propes laid much of the foundation for his leadership philosophy as a student at the University of North Georgia (UNG), where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting. After initially planning to transfer to a larger school, Propes embraced the personal connections and opportunities in the smaller environment of UNG.
He served as an official for intramural sports, a member of the Student Government Association and as academic judiciary chair. These roles instilled confidence ahead of his professional career.
"If you really set your mind to something and you're passionate about it, the odds are in your favor that you'll be successful," Propes said. "UNG prepares you from the leadership perspective. North Georgia is committed to providing pathways for leadership development and growth for the students who choose to pursue those opportunities."
Propes loves team sports and sees many metaphors from them that aid his leadership. He thinks of the results people see on the football field each fall and recognizes they are simply a reflection of the months and years of preparation building to a crescendo. He has a similar mindset.
"Leadership is not just events. It's a process. Leadership happens at an 8:30 a.m. team huddle. Leadership happens when you're serving as a group at a nonprofit. Leadership happens by trusting someone to give them an assignment and follow up the right way," Propes said. "Leadership is almost like compounding interest. It happens over many years of dedication and taking small steps."
Along with that mentality, a growth mentality is a must, according to Propes.
"A lot of leadership is acknowledging that as a leader you're not ever fully there. You're always growing," he said. "The best leaders are hungry for knowledge and growing themselves, investing in and developing their team."
