The Dawson County Economic Development Council Board of Directors announce Jason Stuart as its new DCEDC Executive Director.
A Louisiana native, Mr. Stuart joins DCEDC from the Glendive Ranger-Review, where he has spent the past five years as a community news reporter. Prior to coming to Glendive, he spent several years working in the United States Senate, where he became heavily involved in helping to craft NASA policy, including drafting key sections of the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2010. Mr. Stuart holds a B.A. in History with a Minor in Mass Communication from the University of Louisiana – Monroe and a M.A. in History from George Mason University in Virginia and has also served as an adjunct professor of History at Dawson Community College since Fall 2015.
“The DCEDC Board is excited to have Mr. Stuart joining our team,” said DCEDC Board Chairman Rhett Coon. “We believe the combination of his skill set, past public service experience and his intimate knowledge of the full spectrum of issues and challenges facing Glendive and Dawson County gleaned from his work for the local newspaper make him the ideal candidate to direct the DCEDC’s efforts as we seek to refocus our energies on pure economic development.”
“I am humbled and honored by the confidence the DCEDC Board has shown in me by choosing me to serve in this critical position for our community,” Stuart said. “When I first arrived here five years ago, the first two things that struck me were the overall friendliness and hospitality of the local people and a clear vision of all that this community could be given the quality of its people and its setting in an area of outstanding natural beauty. I look forward to working with the Board, local elected officials and other community organizations and stakeholders to identify, recruit and secure new economic opportunities for Glendive and Dawson County in order to help return this community to its once and future position as the beating commercial and cultural heart for all of Eastern Montana.”
Coon said he believes this is an exciting time for DCEDC as it reorganizes and repositions itself to take a true leadership role in driving new economic development in Glendive and Dawson County.
DCEDC’s new mission statement is “Aggressively promoting economic vitality through creating new businesses, tourism and community development while preserving the culture of Dawson County.”
With the hire of Stuart, the council moves forward with a renewed vision of commitment to enhancing the economic vitality and quality of life in Eastern Montana.