Emily Hathcock

The community and economic development function of the Barren River Area Development District will soon be under new management.

Ten months after Gene Becker retired from his position as the 10-county agency’s associate director for community and economic development, Arkansas native Emily Hathcock has been hired to fill that role.

Hathcock, 31, who will start Sept. 24 at BRADD, comes to the job after six years with the East Arkansas Planning and Development District in Jonesboro, where she worked first as a grants administrator and then as economic and community development manager.

During a career that also includes a stint as grant writer for Lawrence County, Ark., Hathcock said she has administered more than $49 million worth of local, state, federal and private grant investments.

“I’m extremely excited to get started and meet the people and see what we can accomplish for the betterment of that region,” Hathcock said. “My first objective is to get in and see what is currently in place.”

Because of the key role Becker played in his 40 years with BRADD and because of some budget uncertainties, the organization’s executive director purposely moved slowly in filling the position.

“We wanted to wait six months or so, and we actually waited about nine months,” said Eric Sexton, who has been BRADD executive director since July 2017.

Sexton said the associate director opening drew more than a dozen applicants. He said Hathcock stood out largely because of her background in grant procurement.

“When we interviewed her, I got the impression she could help us go after funding opportunities and help us accomplish our mission,” Sexton said.

Hathcock will be a key part of BRADD’s leadership team, according to Sexton.

“The ADDs were created on the foundation of community and economic development,” Sexton said. “We want to continue to focus on that. A lot of our smaller communities probably couldn’t function without help from the BRADD.”

Sexton and Glasgow Mayor Dick Doty, chairman of BRADD’s board of directors, both welcome the addition of someone from outside the region who can bring a fresh approach.

“Sometimes, bringing in someone with a different perspective can be helpful,” Sexton said. “Emily has experience with community development block grants and with comprehensive economic development strategies. Having that core foundation will help her make the transition.”

Doty said Hathcock brings “good energy” to her new role and may also bring fresh ideas.

“It’s often a good thing when you get somebody who has seen how someone else has done things,” Doty said. “I hope she will look at things differently.”

Hathcock will oversee a staff of six who deal with economic development planning, infrastructure issues such as water and wastewater planning and various transportation issues in the 10-county BRADD region.

Coming from the 12-county East Arkansas district, Hathcock is comfortable dealing with multiple city and county governments.

“The BRADD region is about half the size of the Arkansas region I’m coming from,” Hathcock said. “That means I’ll have more time to devote to customer service.

“We will really try to sit down with the leaders in those counties and get to the heart of what they want and then figure out how we can help them get there.”

– Follow business reporter Don Sergent on Twitter @BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.