(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) have introduced Erin Hudson to their staff. Hudson will assume to role of Community Development Director, overseeing SWIPCO’s housing and planning teams of 12 current staff members. The housing and planning departments are currently managing a grant portfolio of over $100 million, ranging from disaster recovery, housing, recreation, to foundational services such as transportation, water, sewer, and broadband.

“I am very excited to be here as I am glad to get back to working in an area of assisting people as most of my career has evidence of such,” said Hudson. “I find the work that SWIPCO does to be fascinating, and I am glad to be a part of it. I am ready to dive in and get involved as the Community Development Director in all aspects of Housing and Planning as we move forward through all the projects we are working on and all projects we may have on the horizon.”

Hudson lives in Harlan, Iowa with her two children. She has a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Missouri State University in Psychology and a master’s degree in public administration from University of Nebraska-Omaha. Hudson has a background working with various populations in the nonprofit arena. She worked with troubled youth, then low-income individuals/families, then disabled individuals, and then an assisted living facility.

Erin Hudson

Hudson has worked in administration and wrote and reviewed federal government grants to fund programs that she operated. Hudson brings with her a wealth of knowledge in grant writing and has many years of supervisory experience from her position as director at Youth Emergency Services, West Central Community Action, Concerned, Inc. and Manning Senior Living.

“Erin brings amazing experience managing diverse teams. Right now, there are unprecedented investments being made in our communities and Erin will be a major help as SWIPCO works to ensure as much of that is invested right here in Southwest Iowa.” SWIPCO Executive Director John McCurdy said.