Empower Rural Iowa Initiative

Eysink Appointed by Governor to Empower Rural Iowa Initiative

Governor Reynolds has appointed Marion County Development Director, Carla Eysink, to serve on the Empower Rural Iowa Initiative.  This initiative is broken into three taskforces:  Connect, Grow, and Invest.  Eysink will serve on the Invest Task Force which is focused on rural housing, business development and entrepreneurship. 

“It is an honor to work with rural leaders across Iowa to raise the voice of opportunities and issues facing our rural communities,” stated Eysink.  Eysink has served as MCDC Director for the past 25 years and works with businesses and communities within Marion County to advance the area’s economy.  MCDC’s housing study has assisted the development of housing in the area and the 2021 Opportunity2 Network Pilot in Economic Gardening was created by Eysink.  The economic gardening program focuses on stage 2 growth companies.  MCDC is currently working to develop a pitch event for entrepreneurs as well as succession planning assistance.

The Governor’s ERI initiative was created by executive order in 2018. It is a partnership with the Iowa Rural Development Council (IRDC) and co-chaired by Lt. Governor Adam Gregg and IRDC Chair Sandy Ehrig.