Greater Starkville Development Partnership Board of Trustees Chairwoman Michelle Amos said the organization could hire a new chief executive officer by the end of March.
While Amos would not reveal how many people have applied for the position, she said the board’s search committee — which is comprised of executive officers and the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority, Starkville Convention and Visitors Bureau and Starkville Main Street Association — has remained “active since December.”
The Partnership board first set application deadlines for Dec. 31 but adjusted the window “to remain open until the position is filled,” Amos said.
“We hope to be able to make an announcement this month,” she said. “We’re still plugging away.”
Michelle Jones, SMSA’s chairwoman, confirmed the organization has not yet interviewed candidates, as Partnership executives spent much of the past months discussing the CEO’s role for the future.
“As the Partnership moves forward, we’re looking for a unique person. It’s been a little challenging to put together (a shortlist of candidates ahead of assessing the CEO’s future job function),” she said. “We’ve had a myriad of people apply. In reacting to that, we’ve had to come to terms with what we’re looking for. The best person could have already applied or he or she might come along tomorrow.”
Heath Barret, the Partnership’s director of membership development, was named interim CEO after Jennifer Gregory resigned her position in October. Barrett declined to comment on if he applied for the job or the search process itself.
Since then, GSDP trustees created a new tourism director’s position, which will be filled by the incoming CEO once a hire is made.
Although the new position will shift some of the incoming GSDP leader’s responsibilities down the organizational chain, Amos said the incoming CEO “is still going to take a very active role and will be compensated accordingly.”
“It’s been a very interesting process so far because it has allowed us to step back and think about how far the organization has come over the past 15 years and really think about where we need to go in the future,” said SCVB Chairman Jeremy Murdock. “We are really looking for someone who can build off the success of the past few years and work with our current staff to set a vision for the future. I feel like the GSDP and Starkville as a whole has a tremendous amount of momentum right now, and it is important to keep that going.”
In a 2016 release, Amos said trustees seek a leader who “possesses a passion for the economic development of Starkville and Oktibbeha County, and for communitywide quality of life improvements.”
“The future of the Partnership and our community is bright, and we look forward to adding two new individuals to our team who are committed and passionate about the opportunities ahead,” she said in the release.
The Partnership manages numerous community development-focused groups in Starkville, including OCEDA, SMSA, SCVB and the community market. Starkville’s industrial recruitment and retail enticement efforts are led by external groups: the Golden Triangle Development LINK and Alabama-based Retail Strategies, respectively.
Its funding comes from a blend of public and private sources, including membership dues, 2-percent food and beverage tax revenues and outside contributions from the city’s general fund.
“The Partnership staff has been great with how they’ve stepped up for such a long time. They’ve been doing really great things, and we’re simply relying on the talent and tenacity of our staff to carry us (through the interim),” Jones said.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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