Jessica Johnson (left) joins the Community and Economic Development team as a Community Development Specialist. Jessica will devote half of her time serving as a community coach through the Hometown Pride Program. Her remaining time will be spent coordinating the work of the Envision East Central Iowa strategy committee, writing and administering grants, and assisting with community development projects throughout the region.
Deanna Robinson (center) is a new Planner-Housing Specialist with the Housing team. Deanna will work on the Linn County housing study, write and administer housing grants, and help to coordinate the work of ECICOG’s housing trust funds. Deanna received her Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Iowa in May of 2022 after a long career in health information management.
We will miss the energy and skills of Harrison Freund (right), whose two-year position as a Planning Fellow ends October 14. Harrison is truly a jack of all trades, having worked on numerous ECICOG projects, including the Iowa City Business Assistance Program, Iowa Watershed Approach grants, Jasper County Hazard Mitigation Plan, Iowa City Strategic Plan and comprehensive plans for the cities of Bertram, Wyoming and Lisbon. Harrison will begin his new role as a planner with the National Park Service in Yankton, South Dakota in mid-October.