Iowa Cultural Corridor head moving to Mount Vernon-Lisbon post

Joe Jennison is leaving his post as executive director of the Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance to become Main Street and marketing director for the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group, organizers announced today.

Jennison, a former Mount Vernon resident, will start his new job June 1. The CDG is the organization responsible for economic development, promotion, design, and tourism in the Mount Vernon-Lisbon area, through the Mount Vernon Main Street program.

For the past five years, Jennison has worked the 11-county Corridor area raising awareness of the arts and creating public programs such as the Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance Annual “Icky” Awards. He was also responsible for the coordination and implementation of an economic impact study for ICCA and supported 150 member arts organizations through the 2008 flood. Previously, he worked as arts and entertainment editor for The Gazette.

“Joe brings passion, experience, and skills to this critical position which will help us go to the next level,” CDG president Ed Sauter said in a news release. “His network of leaders in the Cultural Corridor will help us solidify the Mount Vernon-Lisbon area as a destination for tourism, shopping, arts, and culture.”

Jennison is a Second City-trained public speaker and appears frequently on radio and TV promoting Eastern Iowa arts and culture. He graduated from Iowa State University with a major in communications and a minor in English. Before returning to Iowa, he worked in San Francisco for several for-profit organizations including Hewlett-Packard, Agilent Technologies and Business Wire.