UNI’s Pilkington recognized for lasting impact on the Cedar Valley
UNI’s Pilkington recognized for lasting impact on the Cedar Valley
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Randy Pilkington, executive director of the University of Northern Iowa Business & Community Services, is the 2024 recipient of the Cedar Valley Legacy Award from Grow Cedar Valley. Pilkington received the award at the Grow Cedar Valley Annual Celebration on March 28.
The Cedar Valley Legacy Award recognizes Pilkington for his continued leadership and noteworthy contributions to the Cedar Valley through his work with business expansion and community growth, enhancing the quality of life for talent recruitment and retention, and philanthropy and volunteerism.
“Randy's leadership and support of the Cedar Valley's economic development efforts have had a tremendous impact,” said Leslie Wilson, dean of the David W. Wilson College of Business. “For nearly four decades, he has been actively engaged in helping businesses, organizations and individual entrepreneurs grow and thrive in our community. He deserves the recognition that this Legacy Award represents. I could not be prouder of his leadership and the excellent way he has represented Business and Community Services, the Wilson College of Business and the university in the Cedar Valley all these years.”
Pilkington and programs in Business & Community Services have worked in all 99 Iowa counties and guided economic development plans and projects in more than 800 Iowa communities. He served as president of Professional Developers of Iowa, served on the Iowa Department of Economic Development Board of Directors, the 21st Century Workforce Council and the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors. He currently serves on the Iowa Business Council Business Education Alliance, Iowa Innovation Council, Cedar Valley TechWorks, the Iowa Advanced Manufacturing Workgroup and is co-chair of the UNI Research Foundation.
“Randy’s impact on economic development in the Cedar Valley and Iowa cannot be overstated,” said Drew Conrad, director of UNI’s Institute for Decision Making, a program under the BCS umbrella of centers. “He played a critical leadership role two decades ago in helping to facilitate the merger process that led to the creation of Grow Cedar Valley. Randy has led UNI’s active participation in TechWorks since its inception and has served on its board from the start.”
For more information about UNI’s Business & Community Services, visit https://bcs.uni.edu.
