The Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation has a new executive director.
Donna Litton, 63, of the Festus area was hired to lead the nonprofit agency that works to attract new businesses to the county and help existing ones expand.
Litton’s first day on the job was March 13.
She replaces Todd Tracy, who had been the executive director for three years before resigning at the end of 2022 to take a job as executive director of the Center for Workforce Development at East Central College in Union.
Litton has a wealth of experience in the banking business, starting at Crystal City State Bank soon after graduation from De Soto High School in 1978, and working her way up to vice president and branch manager at Eagle Bank and Trust and Fortune Bank. She most recently was branch manager and was in charge of business development at Bloomsdale Bank.
“I went into banking pretty much out of high school,” Litton said. “It’s practically all I’ve ever done. After 40-something years in banking, I thought it was time to make a change. This is something new and exciting.
“I have a lot to learn, and it’s a little different from what I’m used to, so there’s a learning curve, but I’m so glad Rosie Buchanan (assistant executive director) is in the office. She’s been here 35 years, and she’s really a godsend. She’s been helping me with the setup. But it’s coming along quickly.”
Dan Govero, treasurer of the EDC’s executive board, said the agency had just started the process to replace Tracy when Litton’s resume came in.
“We’ve had some interest in the position, but Donna’s really the first and only applicant. Once we read her resume, we thought that we should get the process (to fill the job) going,” he said.
“The big plus is that she’s been in the banking business all along, so she knows all about how business loans work, and that’s a big part of what the EDC does. Plus, she knows a lot of people.
“The board felt she could learn what she needs to learn quickly, and the fact that she already knows people in the area will really help.”
Litton said she believes her people skills will come in handy for the job.
“I am able to have conversations with people, and I want to help promote Jefferson County, which is where I’ve lived all my life.”
Litton will guide a staff of two full-timers and a pair of part-timers.
She said getting the employee roster complete is her first priority.
“We’re looking for a 504 (business) loan officer, and the board has asked me to make that my first priority,” Litton said. “Having that person is essential for growth. Helping businesses grow is what we do.”
Litton said some of her contacts in the local banking sphere have reached out and told her they would be informing their clients about the EDC’s services.
She said when she heard about Tracy’s departure, she knew she had to apply for the job.
“I bring expertise to the table, and I want to help promote the county, and what’s that saying – that if you love what you do, it’s not really work – I think it just all fell into place at the right time. This just feels right.”
Even though Litton knew the people who would be interviewing her for the job, she said she was nervous.
“I was feeling pretty good leading up to it. Then it hit me that we’re not going out for happy hour. This is a job interview, so I started to get a little nervous,” she said. “But it went fine. They all made me feel comfortable.”
She said she’s yet to set any concrete long-term goals for her new position.
“At this point, those will be adjusted as I learn and assess on the job,” she said. “But I know I want to help the business needs of Jefferson County, I want to build good relationships with the local bankers, which should be relatively easy, and I want to work in partnership with Jefferson County government, the County Council and the Port Authority. For Jefferson County to grow, we all need to be headed in the same direction.”
Litton, who has taken some business-related courses at Mineral Area College and Jefferson College, has a daughter, Ginny Wills, the principal at Richwoods Elementary School, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Govero said Litton is being paid an $80,000 annual salary, which he said is “in the neighborhood” of what Tracy was making when he left.
In addition to promoting Jefferson County for new development, the EDC administers the Community Development Block Grant program in the county, and it includes the Industrial Development Authority, which issues industrial revenue bonds.
Much of the EDC’s budget comes from dues the county and member cities pay. Other sources of revenue come from fees to administer grants for the federal Housing and Urban Development program and Small Business Administration loans, as well as interest from its own revolving loan program for small businesses.