Rural Development's Menner asks how he can help
By Jean Caspers-Simmet
simmet@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 05/27/2010 9:33 AM
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa —What are you working on, and how can we help you, are questions Bill Menner, USDA Rural Development state director for Iowa, asks as he meets with rural community leaders throughout the state.
Menner has been on the job for 10 months.
"The first few months were a whirlwind," said Menner during a recent interview in Cedar Falls. "I couldn't sleep at night. There was so much to learn. Once I caught my second wind and figured out my role, things were a lot easier."
He quickly learned that he has a top-notch staff, with 115 employees in 11 offices throughout the state administering 42 programs.
"I needed to get out of the way and let them do their job," Menner said.
Iowa's staff is so good that the state always spends its allocation, and when other states don't spend their dollars, Iowa draws on those as well.
"We almost always spend more than we get because our staff is so effective," Menner said.
USDA Rural Development's mission is "to help create rural communities that are thriving, repopulating and wealth generating," Menner said.
As he speaks to economic development colleagues, he reminds them that USDA Rural Development is one of the tools in the economic development tool box.
"I want to keep USDA Rural Development on the community and county radar screen," Menner said.
One focus is getting community leaders to think in a holistic, long-term manner that brings many partners to the table.
"We need to look at how to build capacity and develop leaders in small communities and give them the tools to plan for the future," Menner said.
Menner said he has the best job in the world.
"I see the impact this agency has on rural communities," he said.
What stands out after 10 months on the job is the passion that people in rural areas have for their communities.
"And it extends to those who grew up in rural areas but left," Menner said. If we could help create opportunities that would prompt rural Iowans, like those with young families, to return home, the impact would be tremendous."
Prior to his USDA appointment, Menner was executive director of Poweshiek Iowa Development, a county-wide economic development organization based in Grinnell. In addition to being a county economic development director, he led downtown development and tourism efforts in Grinnell. He also spent 14 years as a public radio reporter.
A native of Cleveland, Menner is a graduate of Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and master's degree in political science. He and his wife, Grinnell College political science professor Barbara Trish, have lived in Grinnell since 1990. They have four children.