WeLead, the economic development arm of the city of West Liberty, has a new Executive Director, it was announced Monday by the organization’s Board of Directors and president Dr. Dana Nelson.
Ken Brooks comes to WeLead from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley, where he served as Director of Resource Development for two years. While there, Brooks orchestrated many successful fundraising initiatives and managed community relationships in order to serve hundreds of children in the metro Quad Cities area. He will begin his duties in West Liberty on Oct. 1.
Before joining the team at Boys & Girls Clubs, Brooks served on the professional staff of the Boy Scouts of America, where he had roles as the Director of the Workforce Development program, Director of Scouting and also as Development Director leading fundraising projects across the service area.
“Brooks’ history of strong leadership, community organization, and relationship development uniquely equip him to collaborate with local resources to grow the best parts of our community and share our stories with the world,” Nelson stated in a news release.
“West Liberty is an amazing community,” said Brooks. “Everyone that visits experiences this warm embrace of culture that is absolutely unique in our region. I am excited to work alongside everyone in West Liberty to cultivate new economic opportunities and share the stories far and wide!”
Brooks studied Political Science and Spanish at Ball State University in Indiana. He is a Public Affairs officer in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, a Rotarian, volunteer Scout leader, Court Appointed Special Advocate, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Quad Cities chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Brooks currently lives in Davenport with his wife, Katie, their two young sons, and their Border Collie, Stormy.
“We Lead is excited to have Ken as our newest Executive Director to continue the economic development progress the community of West Liberty has experienced,” said Nelson. “He brings a diverse career background from building community-wide relationships to fundraising to increasing the quality of life for all populations.”
Brooks embraces the diversity the city of West Liberty offers and is efficient in the Spanish language to better serve the community, she continued.
The WeLead organization is an economic development group serving West Liberty and surrounding communities in Muscatine County. WeLead works closely with its local, state, and regional partners to continue to attract new businesses, grow and expand current businesses, recruit and support industry and expand housing within the community.
The organization has had many successes including modeling downtown building restoration by renovating two downtown buildings that are utilized for education opportunities through Eastern Iowa Community College including co-working space, and rental housing units. WeLead has also been integral in securing local and state IEDA Catalyst grants for multiple downtown properties.
Brooks replaces Joe Taylor, who came to the community from the Quad Cities as well, taking a position last month as a new city manager at Center Point, Iowa near Cedar Rapids. He replaced N.J. Garton, who resigned in March of 2019 because of a job transfer.
For more information on WeLead visit www.weleadiowa.org.