Last Updated on July 2, 2020 by Campaign announcement from Vicki Byrd
SOURCE: Campaign announcement from Vicki Byrd, Democrat candidate for Cass County Commissioner District 2
Vicki Byrd, a lifelong resident of Cass County and current Vice-President of Planning and Development at Logansport Memorial Hospital, announces her candidacy for Cass County Commissioner representing the Second District.
She was born and raised in Cass County by the late John E. Vernon and Rosemary Vernon. Her father John Vernon served on the Logansport City Council and was the Mount Hope Cemetery Sexton. After graduating from Logansport High School, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from DePauw University and then returned to the community with her husband William to make their home and raise their two daughters
After a number of years in the workforce, she returned to school to earn her Master of Science in Management from Indiana Wesleyan University as she continued working for the hospital.Her husband Bill is now a retired educator from the Logansport Community School Corporation, and they are members of First United Methodist Church in Logansport.T heir two grown daughters –Emily Byrd Metheny and Rachel Byrd Huffman –now return home to Cass County quite often with Vicki’s six grandchildren, to visit and enjoy the various activities that our community has to offer.
Byrd commented, “Because I have been in Logansport and Cass County for most of my life, I have seen firsthand the ups and downs we have experienced together as a community. After a lot of thought, and with support from my family and my employer, I have decided to declare my intention to seek the office of Cass County Commissioner, representing the Second District. I feel that the timing is right for me to do more, give more, and serve my community more than I have before, and it is my desire to do so as a Commissioner for Cass County.
Byrd has held her role as Vice-President of Planning and Development at Logansport Memorial Hospital since 2006, where she is responsible for planning (including project management and long-term strategic planning), marketing, physician recruitment, customer experience, concierge services, the Logansport Memorial Hospital Volunteers and the Logansport Memorial Hospital Foundation. She also serves as a community liaison representing the hospital in promoting community-wide health and wellness initiatives.
Prior to her role at Logansport Memorial Hospital, Byrd had served as Vice-President of Operations for the North Central Indiana Private Industry Council and as President/CEO of Workforce Development Strategies. In these roles, she was directly responsible for building relationships that connected employers and industries with the right people and opportunities to address their workforce or hiring needs. She developed strategies to identify the gaps in culture and skillsets and then followed through with plans for responding to those gaps and ensuring long-term sustainability for the employers and organizations with whom she worked.Workforce development projects are often directly linked with ongoing economic development projects, and in these roles, Byrd gained significant experience in facilitating and promoting opportunities for growth and sustainability in Cass and surrounding counties for potential employers and organizations who were evaluating the community.
In addition to these roles, Byrdhas been dedicated to the progress and improvement of the Cass County community through her tenured service on various organizational boards and committees. She is a Past President of the Logansport Rotary Club and the United Way of Cass County. She most recently served as United Way of Cass County’s Campaign Chair in 2018. Currently, she serves as a board member and the Secretary for the Logansport Parks and Recreation Foundation, as a board member of the Complete Streets and Logansport Re-Imagined committees, and was recently named to the Board of Trustees for Ivy Tech Community College’s Kokomo Campus. In 2014, she was named the Logansport-Cass County Chamber of Commerce Business Woman of the Year. In 2015, she received the Arden Cramer Humanitarian Award from the United Way of Cass County, and in 2018, she was honored as one of six women from Cass and Howard counties who were recognized as Notable Women in Business.
Byrd believes that the skills she has acquired through her roles of employment, volunteerism, and public service will serve the residents of Cass County well as it moves forward. “Cass County is at a critical point right now,” said Byrd. “We have seen a lot of change over the past few years and more change is on the way. In order to manage this change effectively, I believe that we will need a good balance of experience and new ideas to ensure that Cass County is sustained and successful for generations to come.”
She added, “We must also balance the interests of our residents with the efforts of our businesses to provide a viable, forward-thinking economic structure that entices new development and makes our community attractive to potential new business that is a safe and right fit for Cass County. I am confident that I have developed the skills and the rapport with community leaders from all parties to bring the community together, so that we may listen and focus our resources on the items and projects that matter most to our residents and businesses. I am committed to taking responsibility for doing that if elected as a Cass County Commissioner, and I will serve my community by working together with all parties to advance the interests of Cass County citizens.”
Byrd plans to spend the rest of the summer and fall meeting and visiting with local residents to hear their concerns and ideas. Within the next month, she will release a comprehensive platform for voters to consider that is focused on economic development and government transparency. More information about her platform and her candidacy will also be shared at that time.