YEDC to address leadership changes

  • File photo of YEDC Executive Director Terry Stokes and YEDC Board Vice President Whitney Boone. File phot by Hans Lammeman
    File photo of YEDC Executive Director Terry Stokes and YEDC Board Vice President Whitney Boone. File phot by Hans Lammeman

    Amidst tracking toward moving to a downtown office and finalizing a grant application seeking millions from the federal government to place the necessary infrastructure at the proposed second industrial park, the Yoakum Economic Development Corporation (YEDC) finds itself without the leadership of its two primary leaders.

     

    The YEDC Board of Directors met in a special meeting at City Hall last Wednesday to formally receive the resignation of Executive Director Terry Stokes effective Nov. 11. Board President Sean Mooney verbally resigned after the executive director initially expressed his plan to part ways at the Oct. 17 YEDC meeting.

     

    “Across the board, we were all caught short…,” said City Manager Kevin Coleman of the resignations. “The YEDC Board of Directors' next regular meeting (Nov. 21) and (filling the executive director) will be part of their conversation.”

     

    The Board’s Vice President Whitney Boone will lead the Nov. 21 meeting, where plans for delegating responsibilities and filling the vacant positions will likely be agenda items. 

     

    Coleman said the board and staff are “committed to making sure that all the current projects are carried forward seamlessly.”

     

    The Corporation is finalizing the application process for an Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant, a task Stokes said he would be happy to finish if contracted to complete. 

     

    Stokes said he took pride in his accomplishments since starting the executive director role two years and 10 months ago and felt his successor will have a strong foundation upon which to build.

     

    “I know what I inherited in late 2019 and early 2020, I know what is in place now. I was fortunate to be able to build on the foundation laid by those that preceded me. I will take pride in that. Whoever takes the baton from me will have a corporation that is in a much better place to compete in the marketplace,” said Stokes.