Nisenfeld, who led the CREDC for the past two years, said that she was not actively looking to leave Southwest Washington. Under her leadership, the organization implemented a strategic plan for the county, launched a multi-million dollar capital campaign and significantly increased business recruitment.
MacKay Sposito President Tim Schauer, a member of the CREDC Board of Directors, is tasked with heading up a search committee to identify Nisenfeld’s replacement.
“We’re focused on finding someone who we believe will maintain the momentum that Lisa [Nisenfeld] has created,” said Schauer. “She was a tremendous asset for us and it is unfortunate we couldn’t have more time with her. But her skill and capabilities are obviously valued at a higher level.”
Schauer said the search committee has already been advertising within the economic development community and outside of it as well.
“We’re looking for someone with an understanding of economic development, but this person doesn’t necessarily have to be the premiere economic development professional out there because we have a staff of many,” said Schauer. “It’s not a one-man band. We’re looking to hire someone that would complement the staff talent that we already enjoy – someone who can get the most out of that talent as well as build the confidence of our board of directors and investors.”
As Schauer explained it, the CREDC is in a much different position compared to the last time it conducted an executive search. For instance, when Nisenfeld was hired the organization was just getting ready to launch its capital campaign. Now, he said, it’s a matter of maintaining momentum.
“I think we’ve accomplished a tremendous amount in the last two years in terms of setting the path,” Schauer said.
Within the first few weeks of casting its search net, Schauer said the organization has had no shortage of interest, including on a local level.
“There are at least half a dozen or more local executive level professionals that are interested in the position,” he said.
Despite the transition that’s happening at the CREDC, Schauer said the feeling of vulnerability that can accompany a change at the top is largely absent. He attributed this to the nature of Nisenfeld’s exit.
“The leader we currently have is not someone who is unhappy in their job,” he noted. “Many organizations feel vulnerable during a leadership change because the board gets restless and the organization is in trouble and that’s why the leader leaves. But frankly, our leader is leaving because she was wildly successful here and she got called up to a bigger stage.”
The CREDC search committee is undergoing pre-screening now and will begin conducting interviews for finalists by the end of the month.
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