YEDC executive director resigns

Nearly three years after assuming the Yoakum Economic Development Corporation (YEDC) executive director role in January 2020, Terry Stokes officially submitted his resignation to the Board of Directors with a Nov. 11 final day of employment. 

Stokes said that he had accomplished the list of tasks laid out by the group of directors that initially hired him, adding that he owed it to the new group to move on so that they could bring someone in that best matched their vision for the corporation and Yoakum. 

“There is only one person left on that board from the group that hired me two years and 10 months ago, and that’s Dr. Boone, the vice president,” said Stokes in an interview with the Herald-Times. “There is nothing wrong with that per se, but the reality is the group that hired me had a certain vision and certain marching orders that they gave me. I accomplished those things.”

The executive director said he was confident the YEDC board that hired him in 2020 would attest that he achieved their high-level goals and even pursued further projects like the city’s second industrial park complex.

“I’m not leaving because of any dissatisfaction; it is simply for me to get out of the way and give this group the same opportunity to find their right fit in the same way that the group that hired me saw in me the right match for their vision…,” said Stokes. 

Stokes said he first noticed a disconnect between his vision for the YEDC and the Board of Directors’ as early as last spring. The difference in opinion became apparent when he reviewed director feedback on portions of the YEDC strategic plan that he was developing. 

“As I’ve gotten feedback on each individual section, it kind of revealed to me that no one is right or wrong; we simply see things differently,” said Stokes. “That makes sense, (the current board) isn’t the group that hired me.”

Stokes said he was proud to have laid the groundwork for projects like creating a YEDC brand by introducing a logo, tagline, mission statement, several subcommittees and other initiatives. 

Additionally, Stokes faced the unprecedented challenge of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic while working to utilize grant funding best to support local businesses. 

“Two weeks after I started, Governor Abbot declared the disaster one day after President Trump declared a disaster. Two weeks later, I’m in front of the city council putting forward the emergency economic relief package in the form of grants,” recalled Stokes.

The YEDC issued about $140,000 in grants between May and September of 2020, a move that Stokes said saved many local jobs and kept businesses afloat. Overall, the executive director said he was proud of his work in Yoakum and looked forward to seeing what the YEDC will accomplish in the future.

“I’m going to miss this place,” said Stokes. “In the short time I’ve been in Yoakum, I’ve fallen in love with the community. I poured my heart and soul out to this community.”