The Economic Development Council of Colorado (EDCC) is pleased to announce its 2022 Board of Directors, chaired by Stacy Miller, Director of Economic Development for the Town of Windsor. This year’s Board of Directors embodies a diverse set of individuals, coming from all parts of the state, with immense economic development expertise and backgrounds, which will aid in EDCC’s ability to bring various resources to its members and stakeholders.
- Laura Lewis Marchino, Executive Director of Region 9, transitions this year to Immediate Past Chair, leaving a great legacy behind as she helped transition the organization’s focus through a results-oriented approach and amplified staffing roles to meet those needs.
- Stacy Miller assumed the chair role as of Jan. 1, 2022, continuing this focus by leading the organization through a productive strategy session held this past month, which identified several new areas of growth for the organization.
- Joining the executive committee, is Trish Thibodo, Community Development Director for Region 10. Trish has served as a Southwest Regional Director for the past two years and brings her knowledge and critical decision making skills to the committee.
New to EDCC’s Regional Board Directors is Christine Shapard, Vice President of Denver South; Candace Payne, Executive Director for the East Central Council of Governments, Tyler Purvis, Economic Development Specialist for the Pueblo West Metro District; Deana Sheriff, CEcD, Executive Director for the West End Economic Development Corp.; and Kevin Wilkins, Executive Director for the San Luis Valley Development Resources Group. Voted in by EDCC members last October, together they bring over 120 years of combined economic development experience.
EDCC welcomes storyteller, curator, and creative economy consultant, Gregory Howell and Tom Bailey, Sr. Director of Corporate Economic Development for Xcel Energy. Howell and Bailey will each assume a special appointment seat, bringing their industry knowledge and perspective to the board to build stronger more diverse relationships with our industry stakeholders.
Also new this year are two ex-officio’s, Patrick Garrett the Rural Economic Development Initiative Program Manager for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, as well as Greg Thomason, Rural Opportunity Representative and Sr. Program Director of the EDA CEDS Grant. Garrett and Thomason bring with them a deep knowledge and understanding of rural communities in our state and will help EDCC address the challenges and needs in these communities.
“I’m honored and excited to work with such a variety of skilled and talented professionals,” Miller said. “This board will continue to work together to elevate and engage with economic developers, real estate professionals, elected officials, and industry leaders across the state.”
This year marks a major milestone for EDCC’s board as several long-standing and passionate board members roll off. With EDCC’s sincerest gratitude and admiration, we’d like to take this moment to thank the many years of dedication and hard work these members contributed to the organization.
- Michelle Claymore, CEcD, EDCC’s 2020 board chair and Basic Economic Development Course instructor, successfully led EDCC through a pandemic – helping guide the organization into a more dynamic, connective organization. She served on the board in various capacities for 14 years.
- Kelly Flenniken, served in many capacities over her eight-year service including board chair in 2016 and countless years as chair of the Drive|Lead|Succeed Conference Steering Committee. Flenniken charted a new path for the organization along with Rich Werner, hiring and on-boarding EDCC’s first full-time operations director.
- Carolynne White, helped establish the newly created special appointment seats, bringing her expertise and talent in municipal law to EDCC. White helped navigate EDCC through many complex transitions and served in this role for six years.
- Jeff Shaw, served as a regional director for the southeast region for four years and has termed out. Shaw supported our legislative efforts at the state capitol and served on our professional development committee.
- We congratulate Glenn Plagens for assuming the role of President and CEO of Manufacturer’s Edge. Plagens played an integral role during his two-year service as ex-officio, by advocating support for EDCC at the state level and finding various ways EDCC could partner with OEDIT. We look forward to working with him in his new capacity with Manufacturer’s Edge.
- As roles shift in our state offices to meet the ongoing economic recovery needs of our state, we want to thank Kate Guibert for her two years of service as an ex-officio. Guibert brought a breadth of knowledge of our rural communities and was a key partner in 2020 when EDCC had to transition to a remote environment.
“I have had the great pleasure of working with all of these individuals in my tenure with EDCC. Each of these individuals brought immense talent, collaboration, and deep passion for the organization.” commented Kim Woodworth, Executive Director of EDCC. “We wouldn’t be the organization that we are today without their tenacity in solving complex issues, resolving differences, and making tough decisions needed to support the growing organization’s mission.”