Heath Barret, Greater Starkville Development Partnership’s director of membership development, will lead the organization as its board of directors searches for a new chief executive officer.
GSDP Board Chairperson Michelle Amos confirmed Barret’s appointment as interim CEO Wednesday in an email to Partnership constituents.
Previous CEO Jennifer Gregory resigned her post prior to Tuesday’s board meeting, having served in that capacity for almost four years.
Barret joined the GSDP in 2013 after working with Mississippi State University’s Department of Admissions and Scholarships for seven years. His primary focus at the GSDP revolved around chamber of commerce issues, including membership recruitment, retention, other planning efforts and goal implementation.
Barret declined to comment on the appointment Wednesday outside of a board-issued statement saying a search for Gregory’s permanent replacement would begin immediately.
It is unknown how long the search will take.
“Heath, [GSDP Special Events and Projects Coordinator] Jennifer Prather and [Administrative Assistant] Brittany Young are a strong team and extraordinarily dedicated to making Starkville a place we are all proud to call home,” Amos wrote in the email.
Besides the two brief statements released since Gregory’s resignation, board members and Partnership staff have declined to comment on the situation outside of acknowledging the departure.
Gregory, who joined the Partnership in 2009, previously confirmed notifying Amos Monday of her immediate resignation, a day before the board was to gather for a regularly scheduled meeting.
She did not specify a reason for leaving.
“I deeply appreciate the opportunity to serve the Starkville community over the last seven years,” she said Tuesday. “It has been an honor and a pleasure, and I’m extremely proud of what my team and I have accomplished.”
Gregory replaced former GSDP CEO Jon Maynard in 2013, when he took a similar job in Oxford.
The Partnership manages numerous community development-focused groups in Starkville, including the Main Street Association, Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority and 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 monies, including membership dues, 2 percent food and beverage tax revenues and outside contributions from the city’s general fund.
The Partnership will host its annual harvest festival, Pumpkinpalooza, on Main Street from 6-8 p.m. Friday.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 38 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.