The Journal

The Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado has elected new officers to their board of directors, according to a news release from Terry Blair-Burton.

William Tookey, the San Juan County administrator, is the new chairman. He replaces Dan Fernandez, of Dolores County, who held the position for eight years. Tookey is only the sixth chair in Region 9’s 28-year history.

Joining Tookey is Todd Starr, Archuleta County attorney as vice chair; Shane Hale, Cortez city manager as secretary; and Laurie Sigilitto, owner of Fast Signs and Fast Forward media as treasurer. The officers were elected at Region 9’s Annual meeting held on Sept. 28.

The four officers and three additional board members make up the Region 9 executive committee, which now consists of Fernandez, Mary Jo Coulehan, of the Pagosa Springs Chamber, and Dewayne Findley, of Montezuma County.

Region 9 is a public/private partnership that improves economic conditions and coordinates economic development efforts in five Southwest Colorado counties. The Region 9 board of directors comprises representatives from the 17 local governmental jurisdictions and nine members from the private sector. The board meets quarterly, with the next meeting scheduled for January 2018.

For more information, call 970-247-9621 or go to www.scan.org.