A6
BUSINESS
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Guentert takes over as CCNO executive director
Former Wallowa
County manager
for the agency
replaces longtime
leader Davidson
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
LA GRANDE — Con-
nie Guentert knows she
has big shoes to fi ll as the
new executive director of
Community Connection of
Northeast Oregon.
Thankfully, the out-
going director, Margaret
Davidson, was right along-
side Guentert as she made
the transition into the lead
role in the company, a
move that became offi cial
May 1.
“Margaret has just been
a fantastic leader and
teacher,” Guentert said.
“To be able to follow in
those large shoes is a chal-
lenge, but also the founda-
tion of having her for all
this time, she’s imbued in
me those same values and
goals that we strive for in
our agency.”
Guentert has been a part
of Community Connection
for 15 years, the last eight
as the county manager in
Wallowa County.
“Matter of fact, it’s like
eight years exactly. May 1
eight years ago I took over
as county manager — eight
years later, the new execu-
tive director,” she said.
Guentert said she has been
“inspired” by Davidson, and
repeatedly praised her eff ort
fronting the agency, calling
her an “invaluable teacher”
and a person who leads
by example.
Contributed Photo
Margaret Davidson, left, outgoing executive director for Community Connection of Northeast Oregon, stands next to Connie
Guentert, right, the new director. Guentert served for eight years as the manager in Wallowa County prior to stepping into her
new role on May 1, 2022.
Guentert began as a
front offi ce assistant in
2007. She also spent time
in transportation before
moving into her county
manager role in 2014.
Knowing as many of the
ins and outs of CCNO is
valuable, she said.
“Learning the pro-
“MARGARET HAS JUST BEEN A
FANTASTIC LEADER AND TEACHER.”
— Connie Guentert, executive director of
Community Connection of Northeast Oregon
gram from the ground up
and growing up within
the agency, it has given
me such a well rounded
perspective of what this
agency does for all the
communities that we oper-
ate in,” she said. “It is so
diverse.”
Guentert said the deci-
sion to step into the exec-
utive director role is one
that required a deep inter-
nal look.
“I loved my job as the
county manager,” she said.
& Skylight
Gallery
“‘Did I want to drive to La
Grande everyday?’ Yeah,
it was a lot of inner refl ec-
tion. ‘Did I want to take
that step and continue on
in the wonderful culture
and leadership that Mar-
garet has (not only) led
by example, but … really
infused through our entire
agency?’ It inspired me
to step up and have the
opportunity to continue the
culture, the foundation of
our agency, (and) the fam-
ily of it.”
Guentert will continue
to live in Wallowa County,
staying in an area she has
grown to love, and will
make the commute on a
daily basis.
“It’s a beautiful drive,”
she said. “It’s enjoyable.
It’s time to refl ect on what
you got going on in the day.
When you’re home, you’re
present for your family. It
also keeps my feet in that
neck of the woods, also.
I’ve loved raising my fam-
ily there and living there.
It’s home.”
Guentert
said
she
doesn’t plan to make any
alterations to the way
Davidson operated CCNO,
instead wanting to con-
tinue the legacy the long-
time executive director
built.
“I am defi nitely going
to operate it the same way
she has,” she said. “Being
present in the future, what
our counties need, that is
why we’re here. We’re
here to serve people.”
Her replacement at
Community
Connection
Wallowa County is still
being determined. Guent-
ert said she hopes that spot
is fi lled by mid-May.
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Blog: dancingforth.blogspot.com
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541-886-8445
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