Aspire Economic Development + Chamber Alliance has created four new roles, with two being occupied by longtime staff members and the other two bringing in new talent from outside of the organization.
Aspire’s new Economic Development Specialist, Patricia Moon, joined this year to work on Aspire’s economic strategic plan goals and with business attraction and expansion leads. Moon’s 25 years of experience at Franciscan Health working in the development and implementation of various healthcare programs has demonstrated her effectiveness as a community organizer and planner.
Economic development specialists like Moon serve a crucial function in the local economy by planning and executing regular business retention visits designed to connect local businesses to resources and foster good stakeholder relations. Moon will collaborate with companies, communities and other partner organizations to achieve these goals.
Filling the part-time marketing coordinator position at Aspire is Eric Reingardt. Reingardt will be responsible for marketing and communication efforts to promote Aspire’s community impact and value for member investors.
Reingardt is currently pursuing a degree in political science and economics at IUPUI and has experience working in student journalism for several years. He has written for print and online publications, which has given him exposure to public relations and experience in effective mass communication through online platforms.
The role involves planning and drafting written content such as news stories, press releases and email briefs. The marketing coordinator also manages social media, video content, mail and email marketing for Aspire’s work in community engagement, business attraction and member services.
Formerly the organization’s investor services coordinator, Angie Keene is now Aspire’s senior manager of Operations and Relations. Years of prior experience in customer service and investor relations have made Keene well-equipped for her new role.
While she continues to provide customer service to Aspire’s member investors and the community at large, she also delivers concierge-like service to some of the current and new investment level members. Her role has also evolved into overseeing day-to-day office operations, managing Aspire’s database and assisting with onboarding Aspire’s growing staff.
Another current staff member who transitioned to a new role is Aspire’s School to Work Specialist, Jennifer Hollingshead. She serves as a liaison between schools and employers in the community as part of Aspire’s goal to help develop the local workforce of the future.
With the support of various grants such as the 3E grant, Hollingshead coordinates job opportunities and career events for students and regularly speaks with schools to understand their needs while working with partners such as Earlywood Educational Services to connect those students with employers.
In her previous role as community development specialist, Hollingshead oversaw volunteer programs and coordinated a monthly speaker series focused on quality-of-life issues in Johnson County. Hollingshead’s old role involved organizing the Economic Development Advisory Council (EDAC) meetings, which is now Patricia Moon’s responsibility. Hollingshead as school to work specialist remains the lead organizer of the HR Roundtable, however.
“Aspire is chasing bold economic development goals and tackling business leaders’ greatest needs,” said Christian Maslowski, president and CEO of Aspire.
“Angie, Eric, Jennifer and Pat’s new roles are aligned with our desired end goals: high-quality jobs for the community, top-notch member service and a more robust talent pipeline for local employers. I’m proud of their work and grateful they share their talents to advance economic development and business success in the Johnson County area.”
