EXPERIENCE
Mayor (volunteered 5-mo as Interim City Administrator)~1/2022-Current
City of Red Oak, Iowa
- Assisted securing $1M Workforce Housing Tax Credit and $3.7M GO Bond for expansion of 11-acre subdivision with 59-unit townhome project
• Helped secure historic designation & $9M in LIHTC &
• HTC for a 25-unit, adaptive reuse housing project-1917 Lofts
• Secured $100,000 Catalyst Grant for Historic Downtown Bldg.
- Ensured 10-gig Residential Fiber Project
• Community Heart &
• Soul
• Studies for Comp Plan, Wastewater, Water, Flood Mitigation &
• Utility Rates; $1M Street Recon Project.
Community &
• Economic Development Planner III~ 9/2020-6/2024
Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency
- Assembled the Heartland Robotics Coalition partners with Invest NE winning 1-of-21 national $25M U.S. EDA Build Back Better Regional Challenge Grant Awards
- Administrated $400K U.S. EDA CARES Act COVID Recovery &
• Resiliency Grant-led NE state & regional broadband mapping; 6-county EDO partnership
• IA Business Resiliency Toolkit; and $50K Digital Equity regional planning initiative
- Coordinated, administrated & managed $1.5M U.S. EDA Revolving Loan Fund for Micro/Small Businesses
• Convened strategic partnerships for project funding
Executive Director, Community &
• Economic Development ~ 8/2017- 9/2020
Montgomery County Development Corporation (pop 10,400)
- Re-established 501c4 dedicated to county-wide community, economic, workforce, housing, business & leadership development initiatives to revitalize a severely depressed, declining rural county in SW Iowa
• Identified & led county-wide projects across four communities specific to housing, workforce/talent pipeline development, childcare, fiber optic broadband, leadership capacity, marketing, innovation, retail & industrial retention & targeted attraction
• Cultivated initial $5.4M LIHTC/Historic Tax Credit 25-unit housing reuse project
• Facilitated $6.4M USDA Reconnect award
• County-wide fiber initiative
• Grant/admin for 1st completed Community Catalyst Project
Economic/Workforce Development Consultant/Site Selector ~ 3/2017- 7/2017
Webster Global Site Selectors, Independent Contractor Midwest Regional Office
- Prepared proposals for site selection, economic & workforce development consulting services for EDO’s, regional groups & municipalities including SWOT analysis, strategic plans, workforce/pipeline analysis, retail & industrial development analysis. Built long-term relationship with EDO’s, development professionals, educators, corporations, national/international site selectors, government, local leaders
Director of Economic Development ~ 9/2016–3/2017
City of Crete, Nebraska (pop 7,200)
- Coordinated, implemented & administrated economic development & business retention expansion (BRE) activities for economic growth, to preserve quality of life
• Administrated local economic development program fund ($750K) and Downtown Revitalization program ($350K)
• Performed grant research & administration
• Financial packaging (TIF, CDBG, etc.)
• Assisted in creation & execution of place-based marketing strategy, community brand & website redesign; social media administration
Director of Talent Solutions ~ 10/2015–9/2016
Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development, Lincoln, NE (pop 272,000)
- Created, implemented & executed initiatives focused on talent attraction, retention, development, engagement & marketing to increase & improve workforce through social media strategy; creation of relocation/recruitment website
• Conducted (BRE) visits
• Facilitated HR Recruiter Roundtables
• Created Talent Advisory Committee, hosted employer forums
• Convened a State Talent Team
• Supervised several interns
Chief Development Strategist/Elite Leadership Coach/Speaker ~ 10/2009–Current
iShine Productions® LLC (formerly eVentures Marketing)
Keynote speaker, leadership and entrepreneurial coach and workshop trainer
• Build community capacity through leadership and talent development, youth engagement, strategic planning, visioning, organizational development programs for businesses, non-profits & municipalities
• Provide comprehensive conference planning & project management services.
Marketing & Program Coordinator ~10/2005–10/2009
River Country Economic Development Corporation, Nebraska City, NE (pop 7,200)
- Coordinated a five-county grant-funded regional partnership initiative focused on workforce & population recruitment, entrepreneurship & regional development projects including creation of a regional brand & website, developed entrepreneurs club & conducted business development trainings & networking activities; Directed regional conferences, summits, & special events; Created new brand, designed new website & all publicity materials; Developed successful political campaign that led to citizen support of a local option funded by half-cent increased sales tax; Met requirements to ensure 7th certified economic development community recognition
Community Development Specialist (Executive Director) ~
2001-2002
American Cancer Society, Longmont, CO
- Cultivated income development opportunities: coordinating three Relay-For-Life events netting $215,000; led a $1.75 million capital campaign for new office & conference center; Nurtured business/donor/investor relationships; Recruited, trained & managed 50+ office & special projects volunteers; Developed media strategies & sponsorship/programming partnerships; Supervised all office management activities, including administrative assistant, budgeting, contracts, grant writing, billing & payments, maintenance, & hiring; Led the Boulder County CO Council
Special Events Director & Marketing Coordinator ~
1998–2000
Kearney Hub Publishing, Kearney, NE
- Developed, managed & directed five large annual signature community/regional events; Generated over $65,000 new revenue in 2000; Managed all aspects of coordinating, managing & marketing events; Established annual strategic department operating plan & budget; Scheduled, developed, & managed in-house advertising & secured annual local media coop advertising agreements; Developed promotional campaigns using billboard, broadcast, Internet & multimedia sources; Assisted departments in creating integrated packages for sales team; Supervised an assistant & intern; Maintained software system creating customized client presentations for the sales team; Developed marketing analysis, customer satisfaction surveys & prepared reporting documents for internal & external communications
Sales Division Manager ~
1997-1998
Curtis & Associates, Inc., Kearney, NE
- Developed initial marketing & strategic plan for a new company sales division; established internal sales department, hiring procedures, & supervised three sales account executives; Coordinated design of sales & marketing literature; Scheduled & managed media campaign & advertising; Researched competitor profiles & prepared comparison reports; Developed market analysis surveys & customer satisfaction evaluation; Prepared internal & external communication reports
Advertising Director & Marketing Coordinator ~
1996-1997
Morris Publishing Company, Kearney, NE
- Developed advertising strategies for four company divisions managing an advertising budget in excess of $1M; Designed & scheduled print, broadcast, billboard & television advertising; Developed marketing surveys for current & past customers & prepared internal reports; Performed research to improve new & existing products & analyzed competitor profiles; Represented company’s four divisions at national & regional tradeshows & conferences.
AWARDS & CERTIFICATIONS - Additional Available Upon Request
- Certified Grant Administrator (CDBG- CGA in Iowa & Nebraska) 2021/22
- Best of Iowa” Award, Iowa Economic Development Authority 2020
- Certified Professional Community & Economic Developer (PCED) 2016
- President’s Award, National Rural Economic Developers Association 2015
- Graduated Midwest Community Development Institute (3 years) 2014
- Certified 8 to Great Trainer/Facilitator Program 2013
- Accredited Business Planning Advisor (ABPA) – Apogee Center 2012
- Certified REAL Colors® Trainer/Facilitator 2010/24
- Certified Business Retention Expansion Coordinator – BREI 2010
- Graduated Heartland Basic Economic Development Course (IEDC) 2009
- Completed Energizing Entrepreneurs in Rural America Institute 2007
- Completed Grant Writing USA Workshop 2006
- Marketer of the Year Award, American Marketing Association 2000
