ANNE Jones is new executive director of the San Luis Valley Development Resources, following the resignation of Kevin Wilkins who has led the agency the past six years.
“Anne and I have led as a team for the past six years and I have utmost confidence she will maintain the strength of the organization,” Wilkins said of Jones’ appointment. “I am pleased the board had the foresight to appoint Anne as executive director in alignment with an established succession plan.”
Jones said her immediate task will be to concentrate on ensuring the continuity of SLVDRG’s work, particularly focusing on the business loan fund and the organization’s role as a certified economic development planning agency, as designated by the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
Wilkins has taken a position as city administrator in Ogallala, Neb. He became executive director of SLVDRG in November 2016 after a stint as economic development administrator with the City of Yuma, Ariz. “The San Luis Valley has been one of the most fascinating and interesting places I’ve worked in my career,” Wilkins said. “There is a uniqueness here that may exist in few other places.”
During his nearly six-year tenure at SLVDRG, Wilkins focused the organization’s economic development work on providing financing for new and expanding businesses and cultivating community-driven efforts to expand economic opportunity throughout the San Luis Valley.
“I am most proud of incubating San Luis Valley Great Outdoors (SLV GO!) and being part of the organization as it is today,” said Wilkins. “We also more than doubled the size of our business loan portfolio and it will remain in very good hands.”
More information about San Luis Valley Development Resources Group is available at www.slvdrg.org.