Future Leadership Team Delves into Next Gen Survey Insights, Outgoing Members Recognized

On Wednesday, June 5, 2024, the Greater Dubuque Development Future Leadership Team met for its regularly scheduled quarterly meeting. This 30-person advisory group, comprised of emerging professionals and community leaders, meets quarterly to discuss and make recommendations on relevant economic development topics, playing a vital role for the Greater Dubuque Development Board of Directors. These dynamic individuals bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas, significantly contributing to our economic, workforce, and community development initiatives. At their most recent meeting, the Future Leadership Team demonstrated their commitment to shaping Dubuque’s future by thoroughly analyzing the results of the NEXT GEN Perceptions Survey.

The NEXT GEN Perceptions Survey targeted residents aged 17 to 40 throughout the Greater Dubuque region, aiming to capture their vision of an ideal community to live and work in comparison to their attitudes about the Greater Dubuque region. The survey provided valuable insights into the preferences and top concerns of the Greater Dubuque region's younger demographic, revealing what aspects they value most in a community and how the region currently rates against their top priorities. Future Leadership Team members dove deeply into the results provided through rapid fire brainstorming and small group discussion, to identify key areas where the Greater Dubuque region excels and where improvements are most needed to meet the expectations of our next generation of workforce talent. They also identified potential strategies and solutions to bridging the gaps in areas where the data identified the most significant deltas, such as ‘Access to Quality Healthcare’ and ‘Affordable Home Ownership’.

The Future Leadership Team identified several priority areas for Greater Dubuque Development to focus on moving forward which were presented to the Greater Dubuque Development Board of Directors at their June 18, 2024 meeting by Nicole Brietbach. Nicole is a member of the Future Leadership Team and serves as the advisory group's liaison to the Board of Directors. The priorities shared by Nicole and rooted in the survey findings, will guide future initiatives to enhance the Greater Dubuque region's appeal to the next generation as a vibrant and dynamic place to live and work. The community at-large can anticipate a detailed release of the NEXT GEN Perceptions Survey results later this summer along with a summary of the Future Leadership Team's recommendations and the next steps for Greater Dubuque Development to begin addressing them. Stay tuned for this exciting update, as it promises to shape the trajectory of growth and development of the Greater Dubuque region in the years to come.

The June meeting was the last for several outgoing Future Leadership Team members including: Nicole Breitbach (Black Hills Energy), Jason Burds (HODGE), Callie Clark (Clarke University), Megan Imhof (Medical Associates), Tonya Johnson (MercyOne), Theresa Leisen (Northeast Iowa Community College), Mark McCoy (Dupaco Community Credit Union), Dylan Michels (East Central Intergovernmental Association), Nick Patrum (DB&T), Casey Slaght (McGraw-Hill), Molly Valaskey (Premier Bank), and Dan Wellik (The Friedman Group).  We thank them for their guidance to our staff and board of directors during their time on the committee.

The 30 members of the Future Leadership Team serve staggered 24-month terms, and provide feedback to the board of directors and management team on annual and long-range strategies to achieve the objectives of Greater Dubuque Development. One member of the Future Leadership Team serves as a voting member of the Greater Dubuque Development Board of Directors. The next scheduled quarterly meeting is Wednesday, September 4, 2024.

View a list of Future Leadership Team members.

For more information about the Future Leadership Team, contact Nic Hockenberry, Director of Workforce Programming at nicholash@greaterdubuque.org or Mandi Dolson, Director of Workforce Recruitment & Retention at mandid@greaterdubuque.org. Both can be reached by phone at 563-557-9049.