Early City Council approved the hiring of Shawn Russell as the Executive Director of the Early Economic Development Corporation and Early Chamber of Commerce Tuesday evening.
Russell has been a registered nurse for 33 years, currently serving as the Director of the Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine Center in Brownwood.
“I decided to hang up my stethoscope and will now work as needed at the hospital (Brownwood Regional Medical Center), but I am focusing on this now as my full time job,” said Russell.
Russell will take charge of the position on September 22, 2014 and “hit the ground running and see where we’re at,” she said. Russell stated she plans to review both entities and determine “where they need to go.”
Councilman Joel Johnson, stated of Russell’s selection, “The EDC and Chamber approved the selection so this is a pretty good indication that they vetted it and chose well.”
A deep passion for the City of Early and its citizens is why Russell wanted to work for the EDC and Chamber of Commerce.
“I have a lot of energy and a passion for Early, Texas,” said Russell. She has served 15 years on the EISD board of trustees and plans to maintain her current seat on the board while working with the EDC and Chamber of Commerce. “I’m looking forward to the challenges and working with everyone.”
Deeply rooted in Early, Russell and her husband Gene have owned a small business there for 37 years, Russell Construction, and have two grown children. Their daughter Sarah is a 2008 Early High School graduate who will soon graduate from the University of Texas at Pan American as a Physician’s Assistant. Their son Jamison is a 2003 graduate who owns Legacy IT in Early.
The Russells are currently hosting two foreign exchange students this year, a 15-year-old girl from Spain and a 16-year-old girl from Germany.
Wanda Furgason, the previous executive director, will continue working for the EDC and Chamber as an assistant to Russell.
The Early City Council also held a public hearing regarding the 2014 tax rate of 0.5146¢/$100 evaluation, which is the same rate as last year according to City Administrator Ken Thomas. The effective tax rate would be 0.5021¢/$100 evaluation when adopted in a future meeting of the council.
