Citizens for Smart Growth, a Blaine County-based nonprofit organization, announced this week that Vanessa Crossgrove Fry will become the new executive director as of Wednesday, Nov. 8.
Based in Hailey, Smart Growth works to promote healthy, sustainable economies; rural charm; open space; air and water quality; and wildlife habitat.
For the past two years, Fry has been the development director of the Snake River Alliance, a watchdog of nuclear operations in Idaho. Prior to that she spent two years working at the Environmental Resource Center in Ketchum, as an AmeriCorps member and then as its development director.
"Vanessa had been an incredible asset to the organization," said Jeremy Maxand, executive director of the Snake River Alliance. "Although we are sorry to see her go, we are excited for her and look forward to working with her in her new position."
Fry, an avid runner, is an MBA candidate at Presidio School of Management in San Francisco, Calif. She also serves on the boards of Wood River Rideshare and the Ketchum-Sun Valley Historical Society.
She said, "Citizens for Smart Growth gives our communities a voice in directing growth and shaping the future by increasing awareness of the relationship between land-use planning, transportation and quality of life. The organization is at a pivotal point in its development.
"I am looking forward to working with all the communities' stakeholders to help facilitate a more balanced dialogue and generate an interdisciplinary approach to regional planning in and around Blaine County."
