The Greater Des Moines Partnership has announced changes in key positions following the departure of three senior leaders in recent months.

The Partnership made the announcement on Friday, saying the nine team members involved “have considerable expertise and experience in their respective areas” to help continue leading the Partnership’s mission to drive economic growth in the region.

The moves follow the recent announcement by Marvin DeJear that he left the Partnership, where he served as chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. He joined the Partnership in 2021. His last day was Jan. 4.

DeJear’s departure followed those of Meg Schneider, who left her role as senior vice president of business resources and community development in December, and Mike Swesey, who left in October to become the president and CEO of the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corp. in Florida.

Mike McCoy, outgoing chair of the Partnership’s board and CEO of NCMIC, said the depth of experience within the Partnership allows it to seamlessly continue advancing its mission as change occurs.

“That’s how we won’t miss a beat, because we have this deep bench of experience,” he said. “Change happens. People move on to do different things, and if you have a well-led organization, [you] have other people on the bench who are ready to step up, as opposed to ‘Oh, no, what are we going to do now?’ We haven’t had one of those ‘Oh, no’ moments yet, and I don’t think that we will as a result of the planning that is going on with [Partnership president and CEO Tiffany Tauscheck] and previously Jay [Byers] and previous boards that have found this to be a very important aspect to focus on.”

Tauscheck, who took over the top role last summer when Byers left to become president of Simpson College, said part of the Partnership’s strategy is to “build that bench strength and relationships” that make it a strong organization.

“Because an organization is much more than one person; it takes all of us pulling together, and I share with the team over and over again that we are better together,” she said. “So continuing to focus on the team and how we can leverage skill sets and expertise along the way is what in part really does make us stronger.”

The staffing changes include:

• Stacie LoVan has been named senior vice president of economic development as the leader of the Partnership’s economic development efforts, including leading business attraction, retention and entrepreneurship initiatives.
• Jenae Sikkink has been named senior vice president of talent development and inclusive strategies. She will lead workforce attraction and retention efforts, education and have oversight of and work closely alongside team leads of public policy, inclusive business strategies and small business support, DEI initiatives, and regional and community development initiatives.
• Alicia Chilton has been promoted to senior director of marketing. She will advance the Partnership’s “Do Something Greater” digital marketing campaigns for talent and economic development.
• Alex Lynch will take on the role of economic development project director. He will work with regional partners to ensure the success of economic development prospects.
• Emily McLain has been named regional affiliates and member support manager. She will be an ambassador and liaison for affiliate chambers and members to support the Partnership’s regional community integration initiatives.
• Ryan Moon has been named director of government relations and public policy. He will focus on state and federal lobbying and advocacy on behalf of Partnership investors, affiliates and members.
• Stacey Robles, diversity, equity and inclusion program manager, will lead DEI efforts, including the Inclusion Summit, DEI Management Program and special projects such as Global DSM talent strategies and the Regional Inclusive Growth Network program through the Brookings Institute.
• Juan Pablo Sanchez, director of inclusive business strategies, will lead small business support and development opportunities including Scale DSM and inclusive business growth strategies.
• Andrea Woodard has been named to a newly created position, director of regional community integration. She will play a leading role in connecting affiliate Chambers of Commerce, investors, prospective talent and new residents. She will lead the Partnership’s executive recruitment tours and a new ambassador program to connect prospective talent and new residents to the community.