A Jefferson resident will soon take over as the Heart of Iowa Habitat for Humanity Executive Director.

The Affiliate Board voted last week to promote Associate Director Jeff Lamoureux to the organization’s top spot, following the retirement of current Executive Director Erich Kretzinger. Affiliate Board President Harry Ahrenholtz of Jefferson says the Board voted unanimously for Lamoureux, but that they had this idea in mind long before Kretzinger made his decision to retire.

“One of the things we had in mind, and with Erich’s help, we did lack a succession process that a number of the Board were not totally comfortable with. We knew Erich wasn’t going to be around forever but we figured he would be there for a term, which he has been. So the Board was very confident in stepping forward and making that offer to Jeff.”

Kretzinger started in January of 2010 and is the only Habitat Executive Director the three-counties of Boone, Greene and Guthrie have known. During Kretzinger’s tenure, he has helped 14 new partner families build or renovate their own homes, 52 families have renovated homes with the Helping Hands program, and he has raised over $31,000 for the Habitat affiliate organization from the Habitat 500 campaign, which is a one-week 500-mile trek on his bicycle to raise funds for Habitat.

Ahrenholtz and Lamoureux thank Kretzinger for everything he has done for Habitat, and Lamoureux says he’s looking forward to taking on the next step in his career as Executive Director.

“Learning a new role, and working with some of the things and learning some of the things I haven’t on the administrative level. Possibly making a few changes, not that they’re needed, but as things come up kind of put my own flare into it. (I’m) Just excited to continue the work that’s been established.”

Lamoureux says he will continue to operate in his current office location in Jefferson and the new associate director will office out of the City of Boone. Lamoureux will officially take over July 1st. To hear more from him about this and other Habitat-related items, listen to today and tomorrow’s Community State Bank in Paton Let’s Talk Greene County program.