Don Kirkman, former director of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, has landed in Florida and has been named the president of Florida's Great Northwest, an economic development group for the northwest region of Florida. From the release:

Florida’s Great Northwest, the 16-county, regional economic development organization of Northwest Florida, is pleased to announce the appointment of a new president, Don Kirkman. At the organization’s board meeting in December, the Board of Directors voted unanimously to hire Kirkman following a nationwide search. Kirkman will take the helm on Jan. 1 and operate out of the organization’s Destin corporate office.

A seasoned economic developer, Kirkman most recently served as president and CEO of the Piedmont Triad Partnership in North Carolina, a 12-county economic development organization. He was chosen because of his extensive background in regional economic development including marketing, business recruitment, government relations and fundraising.

Kirkman left the Piedmont Triad Partnership earlier this year after a leadership change on its board led to the hiring of a new CEO.  After David Powell, the new CEO, arrived on the scene Kirkman stuck around as head of operations, but it didn't last long and he left the organization. 

I had the chance to meet Mr. Kirkman a couple of times and was impressed with his passion for promoting the Piedmont Triad, and I found myself nodding in agreement whenever he gave his presentation about building regionalism. It's nice to see him land another gig that seems like a good fit for his regional economic development outlook.