HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – During their third annual meeting and dinner at the Ford Center on Thursday, the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership made a special announcement about the organization’s future.

Mayor Lloyd Winnecke will become their next Chief Executive Officer in January of 2024. He will replace Tara Barney, who is retiring at the start of the year. Winnecke’s appointment was unanimously approved by the E-REP executive committee.

In a press release, E-REP officials say that Winnecke’s career in public service and strong record of economic development make him uniquely positioned to lead the organization into their next era of growth and innovation.

“Lloyd’s proven leadership and dedication to not only Evansville but the entire region makes
him the ideal choice to carry on the unbelievable work of Tara and E-REP,” says Curt Begle, chair
of E-REP and president of Health, Hygiene, & Specialties at Berry Global. “As we look to the
future, we are confident that Lloyd’s expertise will build upon the high value E-REP has created
and will continue that trajectory.”

Tara Barney led the merger of multiple organizations under the E-REP umbrella. During the almost six years of her tenure as CEO, Barney has been awarded several leadership awards and has been recognized as one of Indiana’s top 250 most influential business leaders.

“It has been an honor of a lifetime to lead the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership and
work in an industry I love,” said Barney. “Lloyd is the right leader to continue the important
work of moving the Evansville region forward and has been part of implementing E-REP’s
strategic plan from its inception. He knows this work, and I am confident he will take E-REP and
this region to the next level.”

After Barney announced her retirement earlier this year, Begle says they began a nationwide search for her successor. “We were impressed with the quality of candidates and interest in our region from across the country as far as Texas,” he says. “It shows we are making a name for ourselves in the Evansville region and are excited to have found hometown talent that will continue to lead this work forward.”