Sheldon, Iowa — Two people have been selected to temporarily help out as an interim Sheldon Development Director and an interim Sheldon Chamber Director.
Sheldon Chamber and Development Corporation (SCDC) board members tell us that after the coincidental nearly simultaneous resignations of both Sheldon Development Director Curt Strouth and Sheldon Chamber Director Ashley Nordahl recently, they got to work to come up with a solution that is best for Sheldon.
SCDC Board President, Justin Jonas tells us that to fill the Chamber Director duties, the board has decided to use a team approach by relying on Chamber administrative assistant Brandi Fuerstenberg to execute the day-to-day operations. He says she will also assist with the execution of events. He says they have hired former Chamber Director Allison Cooke in a part-time capacity to help plan and execute Crazy Days, the Homecoming Scholarship Golf Tournament and the Celebration Days events.
Jonas says Cooke is very familiar with all of these events and assisted the SCDC in a similar capacity last year. He says the two women work well together and the board is very thankful to both of them for their willingness to take on these responsibilities. He says they know Fuerstenberg and Cooke will execute them at a high level.
Jonas goes on to say that the SCDC Board felt it was critical to have someone in the Economic Development Director position while they look for the right person to fill these duties. He says “There are many great things happening and we want to be sure they continue through this transition.”
He says the SCDC Board has hired Mark Brown to serve as the Economic Development Director through this transition. He says Brown and his wife Lori are “longtime residents and passionate supporters of Sheldon.” Jonas says Brown retired from NCC about three years ago after having served as the Vice President of Operations and Finance. He says the board feels Mark is the perfect person to serve in this role as he “has great leadership skills and has a firm understanding of the SCDC’s finances, having served as a Board Member and Treasurer until last week when we approved his resignation from these roles so that he could fill the Economic Director role.”
According to Jonas, Brown will help them select the next Economic Development Director. They are also in discussions about hiring a recruiter. He says they would like the development director to be in place to help the board hire the next chamber director.
