Community development specialist selected

The City of Pittsburg has selected Bethany Kendrick for the position of Community Development Specialist.

As a community development specialist, Kendrick will work alongside the director of housing and community development to do research, provide public outreach, and serve as liaison for committees and boards.

“We know that Bethany will do an amazing job in this role,” said Kim Froman, director of housing and community development. “Her enthusiasm for her community and her experience working in business and development will be a huge asset to our department and city as a whole.”

To Kendrick, community development is about ensuring quality of life through meaningful engagement – supporting housing, economic activity, local businesses, and the spaces where people live their everyday lives.

“Pittsburg has seen great growth over the last several years with new housing, expanded events, shopping, dining, outdoor activities and play spaces,” she said. “The progress in our downtown has been exciting to watch unfold. My interest in the community was piqued even before joining the City team. When we moved here, I remember saying to my husband, ‘I want to be part of that growth.’ I just wasn’t sure at the time what that would look like. And now I get to be a part of it.”

Kendrick spent 24 years in higher education. She served as a business development officer at Pittsburg State University, the director of development at St. Pius X Catholic Student Center at Pitt State, the director of communications and external relations at Missouri Southern State University and the director of public relations at Labette Community College.

“There is a natural connection between serving students and serving the community,” Kendrick said. “Whether serving students, parents, alumni, or now residents, the heart of the work is the same – service.”

About Kendrick

Kendrick is a lifelong southeast Kansas resident, growing up in a small town where the value of community was deeply rooted.

“Everyone knew their neighbors and supported one another, so I learned early what it means to be part of a connected and caring community, which is what I have experienced in Pittsburg,” Kendrick said.

She attended Friends University, completing a Bachelor of Business Administration, and Labette Community College, where she completed an Associate of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Kendrick appreciates the sense of community at both work and home. Her immediate family lives in Pittsburg, and her extended family is in southeast Kansas. She loves joining them in frequent celebrations, events and the children’s sports and activities. They enjoy outdoor and lake activities, and she also likes taking photographs.

“Now that our youngest daughter is graduating high school, I look forward to being more involved in our community and maybe even taking up a new hobby, like Pickleball,” she said. “I value connection in all forms – family, faith, friends and community. That’s what grounds me.”