LINK board to formally add new members

Higgins, Joe Max.jpg [1]

Mark Abernathy 5x7_edited-1.jpg [2]

STEVE LANGSTON.jpg [3]

By CARL SMITH
news@starkvilledailynews.com [4]

Columbus-Lowndes Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins confirmed Tuesday Cadence Bank CAO Mark Abernathy, associate Coldwell broker Michelle Amos, Greater Starkville Development Partnership Board President Steve Langston and retired businessperson Zelma Talley will be recognized as four new LINK Board of Directors members during a 10:30 a.m. meeting today at the LINK.

Higgins also said the organization will formally rebrand itself today as the GTR LINK, while two of the four new board members will be selected for the LINK’s executive committee.

The moves come as a coordinated effort by the organization now charged with representing Oktibbeha, Lowndes and Clay counties in cooperative economic development initiatives.

County supervisors and the Starkville Board of Aldermen finalized a contract on Halloween to place interim county economic development following a similar agreement involving the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority and the GSDP.

Prior to Tuesday, only Talley’s nomination to the board had been made public. The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors formally nominated her for the position in a 4-1 vote on Nov. 19.

Calls to Amos and Langston went unreturned as of press time Tuesday, while Abernathy declined to comment before today’s meeting.

“We are excited to see this process of regional economic development move forward with the appointments of four members to the LINK board from Oktibbeha County,” GSDP COO Jennifer Gregory said. “These four people will be critical in the communication process and with representing Starkville and Oktibbeha County.”