The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, filled a two-year vacancy in its economic development office. Chelsee Chism will be the county’s next economic development director, rebuilding the department to support small businesses, entice new economic development opportunities and assist with the UG land bank program. “I love the diversity that Wyandotte County offers. There is also this ability to exercise multidimensional approach to economic development that’s not necessarily offered in Johnson County. I feel like my efforts here and my team’s efforts could just be really impactful for the community,” Chism said. She comes to the job from her role as assistant city manager for Overland Park and Shawnee. In Overland Park, she worked on economic development projects including Bluhawk, Prairiefire and the Meridian project, formerly known as Brookridge. Chism succeeds Katherine Carttar, who was the UG’s economic development director between 2019 and 2022. Now, Carttar is the executive director of the Urban Land Institute Kansas City. County Administrator David Johnston said Chism’s first major assignment will be drafting an economic development strategic plan for the county over the next nine to 10 months.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
