taken this issue to a regional level, and state level. I also expect legislation to come about in 2023 that will help Missouri with the childcare issue as well. Housing has also been shown as a workforce problem. There are varying ways to tackle this problem too. Some communities want to conduct a housing survey to fully understand what existing stock is available, and then they can incentivize or build where the gap exists. Others look at housing through a demand approach. Who needs housing in the community and what can they afford—build that. Finally, others want to look at the people. How many seniors live in single family homes with three or more bedrooms, that could downsize to an assisted living facility and then free up an existing home for a young family. In my community, the partners have taken two of those approaches. The city has conducted a housing study to understand what is available, mainly because it is a college town with lots of single-family homes broken up into multiple apartments. Additionally, there is some in-fill housing that could be developed. A local electric cooperative has brought in a group to look at housing from the demand side in order to understand what folks can afford who want to buy or build. The next steps is coming up with programs and visiting with developers. Then of course, the day-to-day work continues of working with existing businesses, overseeing manufacturing roundtables, assisting with the ELL classes, offering trainings, coordinating the human resource managers group, and more. What are your aspirations for the future? My aspirations for the future are to continue to learn, to serve my community, and make it a better place for my children and grandchildren. I am also passionate that everything rises or falls with leadership. I am focused on making myself a better leader, helping others to become leaders, and raising up future leaders in my community, region, and state. Q Carolyn Chrisman “ The reward comes inmany forms, but it is the help our citizens get. THE CEO INTERVIEW
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