Economic Vitality Corporation announces staffing changes
–The Economic Vitality Corporation continues its work in San Luis Obispo County with the announcement staff updates. They recently announced that Maria Kelly will serve as Interim Executive Director, and Jill LeMieux will serve as Director of Business Strategy. After sixteen years, Mike Manchak has left the organization to begin a new chapter in his professional career.
Maria Kelly has served as an EVC board member since 2014 and says she is looking forward to serving the EVC as the Interim Executive Director. While the EVC will work towards a formal recruitment process, the executive committee determined that it was essential to have immediate support to guide the team through the end of 2020. For the past 15 years, Maria’s career path includes leadership roles in business and government while serving local communities. Maria is a strong proponent of improving communications among stakeholders and working to highlight industry and community benefits of a healthy economy. Her work with nonprofits, small and large businesses, has led to her deep appreciation for the contributions they all make to ensure a thriving SLO County community. “Based on the recent survey results from the EVC stakeholders and the work ahead, Maria is a great fit for us at this time,” said Jolie Ditmore.
Jill LeMieux brings a wealth of professional nonprofit service to the EVC. After seven years with the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, she joined the EVC team in June of 2020 to work on special projects, including outreach and support to local manufacturers through a grant from California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC). Her work will directly benefit the manufacturing community through resources and technical assistance in response to COVID-19.
Michael Manchak announced his departure from the regional non-profit organization as of June 30. Manchak served the EVC since 2005, leading the organization to create economic balance and job opportunities throughout San Luis Obispo County. His years of service include overseeing the development of several business resources: a regional Economic Strategy with industry clusters, an Economic Dashboard for economic indicators, the Central Coast Capital Network to grow companies, the Employer-Talent Connection website for a stronger workforce, and a tri-county Broadband Consortium for faster internet connectivity. Under his leadership, the EVC advocated for infrastructure improvements within workforce housing, airport expansion, and conducted economic studies to help local industries such as airport, wine, tourism, and broadband.
Established in 1994, the Economic Vitality Corporation (EVC) serves all of San Luis Obispo County as a nonprofit economic development organization. We are committed to stimulating the region’s economic vitality by creating jobs, fostering investment, and promoting business. (805) 788-2012 www.sloevc.org.
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