The city of Grimes announced Katie Lord will be the city’s first economic development director. Lord, who will begin her new job on May 1, has worked in economic development for 12 years, most recently as the business and community development manager at MidAmerican Energy and as an economic development specialist for the city of Urbandale. Lord has a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Iowa and a bachelor’s degree in economics and business from Cornell College. Lord is a member of the board of directors for Professional Developers of Iowa and recently served on the board of directors for numerous economic development organizations. “There is tremendous growth and opportunity in Grimes, and I’m excited to build upon the strong foundation already in place,” Lord said in a prepared statement.