Kootenay Rockies Innovation Council names new executive director

The Kootenay Rockies Innovation Council (KRIC) is pleased to announce the succession of Larry Sparks as KRIC’s executive director by current program manager, Sheelagh England. Sheelagh has been with KRIC since February 2012, and is a critical part of KRIC’s efforts to serve the East Kootenays’ technology and innovation-focused entrepreneurial community.

England brings broad experience in process and project management, with a specialty in process improvement in technical and business environments, to the role of executive director. She will continue to be based out of KRIC’s office in Golden, at 902A 10.

Said England, “I’m excited to be taking on a wider role with the organisation, and continue working with the talented team that we have here at KRIC. I have been heavily involved in the development of KRIC’s keystone activities, and I am looking forward to seeing those, along with our Business Coaching and Venture Acceleration Programs, mature over the coming years.”

Tara Penner, who has been involved with the organization since 2010, takes on the role of project manager, and will continue to coordinate many of KRIC’s activities from Kimberley. Penner has been working with entrepreneurs and businesses in the region through the Manufacturing and Technology Sector (MATS) Business Retention and Expansion Initiative, and her new role will see her interactions grow steadily within this entrepreneurial community.

Said Penner, “I’m looking forward to engaging more with our Business Coaching and Venture Acceleration programs, and helping extend the reach of KRIC throughout the East Kootenays.”

She comes from a technical background with expertise in information management systems, and brings a passion for technology and small business to her role with KRIC.

Outgoing executive director Larry Sparks, who is leaving KRIC to pursue other opportunities, said, “KRIC is evolving into a more mature organization, and I’m confident that the time is now to see the continued benefits of KRIC delivered by the team we all built, without me.”

KRIC would like to thank Sparks for his dedicated efforts over the past two and a half years, and wish him all the best in pursuing his interests in startup and early stage projects.

For more information about KRIC, see the recently released 2012-13 Annual Report on the KRIC website.

Stay up-to-date on KRIC activities, including the workshop on sales strategies planned for September, by signing up for KRIC’s newsletter.