The Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas has a new interim leader following a special meeting of the RDA Board Thursday afternoon.
During the meeting, RDA Board Chair Kaila Maxfield says the board took the following action.
Thursday’s decision follows a special meeting of the RDA board in December where members voted to place Scott on paid leave for undisclosed reasons. Scott was named the RDA President in 2022 and replaced Kent Heerman, who had been the organization’s only president.
Following the acceptance of Scott’s resignation, board members approved the appointment of Jim Witt as interim president for six months. Witt came to Emporia back in 2013 serving as the city’s interim assistant manager until 2016 when he became the city’s special projects coordinator part-time.
Before his time in Emporia, Witt served as the city manager of Dodge City from 1986 to 1993 and the city of Coppell (CUH-Pell), Texas from 1993 to 2008. When asked about his reaction to his new appointment, Witt says it was a sudden development that he is honored by.
With Witt now at the helm for the time being, the RDA board will begin a search for a new permanent director. Maxfield tells KVOE News they do not want to “drag out” the process longer than is necessary and believes six months will be more than enough time to conduct a thorough search.
