New Fort Collins economic, sustainability posts for Kendall, Birks

Editor’s note: This report was corrected to accurately reflect the titles and relationships between the positions.

FORT COLLINS — SeonAh Kendall, who had served as Fort Collins’ senior manager for economic health for more than a decade, has been promoted to economic health director, succeeding Joshua Birks, who held that post for 10 years before being promoted to deputy director of sustainability services this month.

In Kendall’s new position, she will oversee the city’s Economic Health Office, focusing on business support, entrepreneurship, innovation and workforce-sector partnerships. In her previous role, she served as the city’s business ombudsman and as a liaison with local and state economic-development organizations. She was project manager for several city initiatives including the broadband plan that led to the Fort Collins Connexion service.

Before taking the job with the city, Kendall had directed the business program and faculty at Front Range Community College.

A certified public accountant, Kendall holds a master’s degree with a focus on taxation and financial accounting from Colorado State University. She has served for more than five years on  the board of directors of the International Economic Development Council and previously was a member of the boards of the FRCC Foundation and the Economic Development Council of Colorado.

During Birks’ tenure as economic health and redevelopment director, he oversaw the $330 million redevelopment of the Foothills mall and saw his office grow to six staff members and expand to encompass innovation and the climate economy.

In his new role as deputy director of sustainability services, he will oversee economic health, social sustainability and environmental services. He retains the redevelopment piece of his previous position. The chief sustainability officer position with the city is currently vacant.

He started in Fort Collins city government in 2009 as an economic adviser and has experience on boards including those of technology incubator Innosphere Ventures, the Economic Development Council of Colorado, the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Larimer County Small Business Development Center. His resume also includes work with Portland, Oregon’s development commission and as a technical solutions coordinator for Parsons Brinckerhoff, a London-based international engineering and construction management company.

Birks holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Denver as well as a master’s in urban and regional planning and a graduate certificate in real-estate development from Portland State University.

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