Dene Thomas, President of Fort Lewis College, in announcing her retirement one year from now, is the most recent in a series of personnel changes that will affect key community institutions at a critical time. At FLC alone, Andy Burns, Director of Admissions, recently announced he is moving on to serve as COO of Durango School District 9-R, and Gary Hunter, Athletics Director, is leaving after six years.
La Plata County just lost its Planning Director Damian Peduto, and County Manager Joe Kirby is weighing a job offer in Oregon. This past fall, Greg Hoch, the city’s Community Development Director, retired after 35 years. In March, City Manager Ron LeBlanc promoted Kevin Hall, Hoch’s successor and Amber Blake, Transportation and Sustainability Director, to serve under him, respectively, as two Assistant City Managers.
And Bob Kunkel, Executive Director of the Durango Area Tourism Association, is leaving his post this summer. Early last month, the DATO board selected Frank Lockwood, a retired attorney, and successor to Kunkel, to serve as DATO Deputy Director. The DATO position is the only leadership position to be filled to date, leaving three senior positions vacant at FLC, potentially two at the county and one, Community Development Director, at the city.
Transition is normal. Promotions, retirement, fit and too much or too little challenge are all reasons people leave jobs. If done right, personnel changes can lead to cost savings and increased efficiencies, as LeBlanc says is the case with the city reorganization, and new skills, energy and ideas can give a boost to institutions that may need it.
As with the hire of Durango’s new Police Chief Kamran Afzal, who arrived in April from Virginia with more than 25 years experience in law enforcement, a fresh set of eyes or advice gleaned from experience often obtained elsewhere can be of great benefit. But there is also the risk they or their family will not like their new home.
Hiring is hard, risky and some of the smartest people, even committees of people, make the wrong choices and new hires do not work out. It is sometimes impossible to know until the person is in the job. If not done right, hiring can be a drain on, rather than benefit to, an organization.
With a yet completed update to the county’s land-use code, the continuum of housing needs the city must address, our dependence on tourism and the success of the college, we are at a critical time in the growth and development of our community. Good hires are everything and we cannot afford mistakes.
Hiring local talent, people that may not have the direct experience or degree, but are already established and possess skills that can be developed, has benefits. Yet, when time is of the essence, when budgets and enrollment are in decline, it is often the case that those who are recruited with the specific expertise the job requires, who come from a position within a community that has successfully navigated challenges like ours, have the most to offer.
Hiring well is equal parts art, science and a bit of good luck. We wish at least luck to those with the very hard task of weighing the candidates against the criteria and hiring the best people possible for the long-term benefit of our community and its institutions.
