Missouri gets a new leader of the Department of Economic Development

Rob Dixon, current president of the Missouri Community College Association, has been appointed Missouri’s new Acting Director of Economic Development.

Gov. Eric Greitens said Friday that Dixon’s previous economic development work in the cities of Hollister and Springfield contributed to his qualifications.

Dixon succeeds Mike Downing, who most recently has been serving as the department’s acting director. Downing has been with the department since 1982.

In a press release, Greitens said “Dixon’s most recent success has been in workforce development, where he successfully coordinated major policy changes on behalf of Missouri’s 12 community colleges.”

Dixon’s history includes serving as a Marine in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He earned an associate’s degree from St. Charles Community College before graduating from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He subsequently earned a master’s degree in public administration from Missouri State University.

Dixon said in a statement released by the governor’s office that “Governor Greitens and I share the same desire to transform the way Missouri does economic development. The people of Missouri need more jobs and higher pay. We’re going to compete with every state in the country to win jobs for our people. I look forward to working with economic developers across the state to create one of the top business climates in the nation.”

This story was originally published June 2, 2017 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Missouri gets a new leader of the Department of Economic Development."