Q2030 Announces Kate Jennings As New Executive Director
Today Q2030 co-chairs announced the hiring of Kate Jennings as the Executive Director for the newly created 501(c)3 stand-alone organization. Jennings will start August 2nd with a staff of one, a project manager. A community reception will be held in late August.
Prior to joining Q2030, Jennings served as the Deputy Chief of Staff and District Director for Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. On her staff, she 
handled outreach and stakeholder management across a fourteen-county district, which mirrors the diverse communities, employers, challenges and opportunities of the Quad Cities region. Over the past 15 years, Jennings has worked with Senators Durbin, Burris and Obama where she created and implemented strategic multidisciplinary plans, served as the primary liaison for these offices with community leaders, businesses, and other elected officials and planned regional and local outreach aimed at convening diverse groups to identify challenges and coalesce around shared goals.
“The essence of Q2030 is people working together to leverage our collective strengths and unleash the power of collaboration to solve regional challenges. Q2030 has captured the hearts and minds of many, but now is the time to make real impact on the daily lives of every Quad Citizen,” says Joe Slavens, Co-Chair of Q2030 and President of Northwest Bank and Trust. “With fresh energy and the proven ability to bring people together, Kate is dedicated to playing an integral role in transforming our regional vision into our collective reality. And to successfully do that, she knows that everyone must be at the table and that no Quad Citizen can be left behind.”
As the new Executive Director for Q2030, Jennings’ primary purpose is to translate the Q2030 vision into actionable, measurable impact to drive outcomes. She will lead intensified and focused regional collaboration that ignites the transformational change in the Quad Cities region that is necessary to realize our vision.
“I am honored to be joining Q2030 at such a pivotal moment in our community,” says Jennings. “Leveraging the diverse voices of our region to ensure the Quad Cities is a truly thriving, prosperous, and healthy community for all of its residents will be the key to progress for our region. With the support of the Board of Directors and the four champion organizations, I am confident that we will be able to build the collaboration necessary to create a lasting impact.”
Since June 2016, Q2030 has been focused on aligning the Quad Cities as a single region and making it a different and better place by 2030. Building off the momentum gained over the past 5 years, Q2030 became a 501(c)3 stand-alone organization to provide a new sustainable model for governance and funding in September 2020. The new organization includes a diverse board representing the business, government, nonprofit and education sectors within the Quad Cities. In addition, the first four champion organizations – Quad Cities Chamber, Quad Cities Community Foundation, United Way Quad Cities and Visit Quad Cities – have strengthened their partnership with Q2030 by committing to align their work with the vision and support the initiative.
The Q2030 vision remains the same: The Quad Cities is recognized globally in 2030 for growing and attracting talent and businesses, is energized by a diverse and culturally rich community, inspires innovation, and embraces lifelong learning.
