McGowns head east to Brady

The City of Sidney will say goodbye to its community and economic development director and the Leyton School District will bid farewell to a principal and athletic director this summer when Megan and James McGown, along with their two daughters, move to Brady.

The McGowns, who have called Sidney home for 10 years, are relocating to Brady – a small town southeast of North Platte – in June.

James was recently named the superintendent for the Brady Public School District.

While Megan doesn't have a job lined up yet, she said she would be exploring new opportunities.

After working for the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce for seven years, Megan took the city economic development director position three years ago.

"The whole time has been a really great run," she said. "I've been able to work with some amazing people – both in my role as the director of the chamber and then also after coming over to the city to do economic development."

Even after the job change, she was able to work with many of the same people, but in a different capacity.

"I think my biggest accomplishment is the relationships I've built," she said.

Through both jobs, she was heavily engaged with the community.

"That involvement, I will miss that greatly," she said.

Megan said she'll also miss the many amenities of Sidney.

"I've loved everything about living here," she said. "I love the trails, and our park system is amazing. I think it's something the city should really be proud of."

James has likewise been engaged with the community – first as a teacher with the Sidney School District and then as an administrator in Leyton.

"There's a lot of great people that I've met and the kids that I've coached and taught," he said. "You always like to see the kids and how they've grown up. And I'll miss those opportunities."

The current principal also praised his co-workers in Leyton.

"There are a lot of great people and hard working people that I've had the pleasure of leading here at Leyton," he said. "I'll miss their dedication."

Throughout the county, residents understand the important role of the school system, James said.

"The support that people have for their local schools is really neat to see," he said.

As a distance runner – who twice qualified for the Olympic trials in the marathon – he'll miss his daily, early morning runs through the back roads of Cheyenne County.

"Sometimes in the morning, seeing a sunrise when I'm out running, you can see for 17 or 18 miles on a clear morning," he said. "I'll miss that."

Both James' and Megan's current employers lauded their contributions to their workplaces.

"Megan has been an instrumental part of everything that happened in the Sidney and Cheyenne County area when it came to community and economic development over the past 10 years," Sidney City Manager Gary Person said.

Greg Brenner, Leyton School District superintendent, said he wishes James well.

"I believe he's going to be very successful wherever he goes in the educational field," Brenner said.

The McGowns plan to make the move to Brady in June.

"We're trying to purchase a house, we're trying to sell a house," Megan said. "We don't have dates finalized yet. Both are pending."

Megan reflected fondly on her decade in Sidney, and the city's continued growth.

"It's growing, getting younger, all of the things you want to happen in small, rural communities are happening here," she said. "I hate to walk away from that. It has been a really great experience."

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COMMENTS FROM THE SIDNEY CITY MANAGER

Megan has been an instrumental part of everything that happened in the Sidney and Cheyenne County area when it came to community and economic development over the past 10 years. She was also involved in numerous volunteer efforts throughout the community, which again speaks so highly of the role she played as a community citizen that cares deeply about people and the place she lives.

Personally, having worked with the economic development efforts of our community for over 30 years, I could only trust that responsibility to someone I had 100 percent faith in that would do the job well. She exceeded my every expectation, as a Chamber Executive Director, Community Development Director and most recently as Economic Development Director.

I can sincerely appreciate and saw every day the value she brought to our team effort. It's a tremendous loss, as every year we continued to give her more responsibility to the point she was running the show. People and developers trusted her judgment, appreciated her energetic personality and valued her ongoing efforts and knowledge of development programs.

She always goes the extra mile and takes great pride in doing things the right way.

From a personal standpoint, we had similar backgrounds, growing up in remote rural farming and ranching areas of Western Nebraska and learning to work hard at a very young age, which helped us appreciate each other's mindset and expectations on getting the job done.

Megan will be successful wherever her career path leads her and some lucky employer will gain a very talented professional.

Losing excellent quality people such as Megan and her husband, James, out of our community will certainly leave a void. If you look over the past 10 years of what this community has accomplished, which is extraordinarily significant for any rural community in America, just know Megan McGown played a key role in all of it happening.

I deeply appreciate her efforts and commitment.

– Gary Person, City Manager