Jon Stavney, as Executive Director of Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, is a leader passionate about improving local government through information sharing, innovation and best practices. Since being hired in November of 2016, Jon has worked closely with program directors at NWCCOG to develop clear goals and maintain the highest possible scores from the state and federal agencies which review each program, and to increase the visibility of services and of the organization as a whole. Jon learned public service on the job over more than twenty years in various roles. Elected to the Town of Eagle Board of Trustees in 1998, 2002 and Mayor in 2004, he served on the Board in Eagle until 2008. In that time while working as a Superintendent then Project Manager building Custom Homes, town provided his night class where he “studied” governance, land use, law and public policy “by doing” as the town grew more than 15% each year. That decade included multiple major development negotiations as town that more than doubled a historic footprint. He is most proud of the Town renovating Broadway with an award-winning streetscape, building a concert stage during a makeover of town park. The town grew dramatically but community surveys showed quality of life measurements increasing for residents during his tenure. Jon served 5 years as an Eagle County Commissioner from 2008-2013 where his proudest accomplishments were establishing Castle Peak Senior Center (a 120 unit assisted living facility), working closely with stakeholders on the Colorado River to purchase 5 key river access points and conservation parcels, and also spearheading the Eagle Valley Land Exchange, a ten-parcel, 1, 549-acre multi-party agreement involving the USFS, Colorado State Land board and four local jurisdictions. Jon was served on the Colorado River Water Conservation District board when it negotiated the historic Colorado River Cooperative Agreement in involving Denver Water and 15 West Slope entities. He was on the Public Lands Committee at CCI. Jon stepped down as Commissioner in 2013 when he was hired to serve as Town Manager in Eagle. During that time the leadership team Jon led at the town drafted and completed Annexation and Development Agreement negotiations for the 800 unit Haymeadow Development, concept planning for the future Eagle River Park, and de-evolution of Highway 6 through town. Jon resigned with a severance as Town Manager in December of 2015. Prior to joining NWCCOG, in 2016, Jon performed an office assessment for the 5th Judicial District, he trained and worked as a raft guide with Sage Outfitters, and framed homes in Gypsum for Habitat for Humanity. Jon and his wife live in Eagle, Colorado in a home that he designed and built in 2001. Their two adult children are in college. Jon enjoys the travel, research and writing involved in his job and keeps a personal blog on the topic at www.a-public-observer.com.