Emporia city government and the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce will start separate processes soon to fill the voids coming after Rob Gilligan relinquishes both his City Commission and Ignite Emporia director roles in the next few weeks.
Gilligan will move to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where he will serve as the Chamber of Commerce President and CEO beginning April 11. He hopes his work on the City Commission, RDA board, Emporia Main Street board and Ignite Emporia has positioned Emporia well for future growth.
Gilligan becomes the latest in a string of local leaders that have departed their jobs, either for other positions or retirement the past two years — including former Emporia State president Allison Garrett and former Flint Hills Technical College president Dean Hollenbeck, former city manager Mark McAnarney, former city commissioner Jon Geitz, longtime fire chief Jack Taylor and longtime RDA president Kent Heermann. Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jeanine McKenna says Gilligan will be missed.
Mayor Becky Smith says Gilligan’s experience helped city government. So did his recall when it came to facts and figures.
The city may well rely on its application-appointment processes used in the past for Gilligan’s replacement on the commission. The Ignite Emporia search process isn’t set yet. McKenna says the Chamber will look at potential updates to the position before launching the search.
5:10 pm Thursday: Gilligan moving to Missouri to become Cape Girardeau’s Chamber president/CEO
One of Emporia’s city leaders is moving to another city.
Rob Gilligan, who has served as Emporia city commissioner for over a decade and has been Ignite Emporia’s director since the agency was founded in 2020, has accepted the role of Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Officer. Gilligan will be responsible for the Cape Girardeau Chamber’s administrative and management functions.
Before moving into city government, Gilligan was involved in government relations with the Kansas Association of School Boards.
In years past, the Emporia City Commission has used an application-appointment process, where interested residents apply to fill out a commissioner’s unexpired term and the full board votes on its choice. Mayor Becky Smith does not expect the commission to deviate from prior policy, and she says the board may finalize the process at its action meeting March 16.
