Mountain BizWorks names interim CEO

Former Chamber Board Chairman and one of our most active members / volunteers, John Mark Stroud, has been selected to be Mountain BizWorks interim CEO.

Below is the official announcement from Mountain BizWorks.

The Mountain BizWorks Transition Team has been hard at work for the past two months and has completed the first phase of the executive transition process. Under the direction of Gary Landwirth and Judy Futch, project consultants, the team conducted an organizational assessment that served as the basis for the Mountain BizWork Board’s development and approval of a 12-18 month update to the organization’s strategic plan, a leadership plan for the new CEO and the CEO position profile.

In reviewing the transition timeline, the Board made the decision to appoint an interim CEO to ensure continuity of leadership and a smooth transition to the new CEO. The Mountain BizWorks Board is pleased to announce that John Mark Stroud has agreed to serve as the interim CEO. John Mark is dedicated to the mission and work of Mountain BizWorks, has been a strong Board member and is an effective leader who will provide the leadership needed during the transition. John Mark will continue in his role of Chair of the Executive Transition Team.

“I am thrilled to be able to help Mountain BizWorks in this time of transition. My short-term role will be to maintain the organization’s stability and continuity while we search for the permanent leader. Once the ideal candidate is selected, I will help our new CEO get established and ready to lead our organization into the future.” – John Mark Stroud

John Mark is a native of Western North Carolina, having grown up at Lake Junaluska in Haywood County. After several successful years working for Marriott Corporation in Atlanta, he returned to the mountains he loves with the intention of starting his own business. That dream was realized when he opened his FASTSIGNS in 1995. After twelve years of double-digit growth and many accolades, John Mark sold his business to focus on the commercial real estate investing that he had been doing since 2000.

The Transition Team is now in the second phase of the project to advertise the position, review applications, interview top candidates and recommend the final candidate to the Board. Position announcements have been placed with microenterprise and non-profit organizations with a full position profile available on Mountain BizWorks’ website, www.mountainbizworks.org. Applicants are encouraged to email materials to search@mountainbizworks.org before May 8, 2009.

The Team is committed to a comprehensive recruitment process and hopes you will assist in encouraging people you know to apply. A short version of the position announcement is included below for your review and distribution.

Thank you for your continued support of Mountain BizWorks. We look forward to sharing more with you as the transition process progresses.

Sincerely,
Sallie Broach
Chair, Mountain BizWorks’ Board of Directors