Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community director Joe Jennison has announced his intentions to step down as director of Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group in the future.
Jennison said he, Lisa White (president of Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group) and city administrator Chris Nosbisch will be discussing a transition plan for the director’s spot.
“I told Lisa and Chris that I love this town and community too much to leave before a plan is in place,” Jennison said. “I told them that if they want me to leave tomorrow, I am AOK with that. But also, I am happy to stay as long as it takes so as to make this transition as painless to my volunteers as possible. We will meet next week to draft a plan and I am committed to making a smooth transition.”
When it comes to future plans, Joe and his husband, Chris, intend to remain here in Mount Vernon.
“We love our house and community and know this is where we want to grow old,” Jennison said. “Just know that I am working with Chris and Lisa to make this transition as smooth and seamless as possible. I love this community and only want the best for it.”
Jennison said attending the recent Main Street Iowa conference in Ames with seven board members was the indication it might be time to think about transitioning from his position.
“I have always said CDG exists to ‘empower volunteers to do cool things in their own community,” Jennison said. “With me at that conference this year, for the first time since I’ve been doing this work, I was accompanied by seven board members. This has never happened in 14 years of doing this work. It was clear to me then, that now is the perfect time for this organization to move on without me. Clearly, my work is done. This current crop of volunteers is ready to take this organization to the next step. And I am proud to watch what they do with it.”
Jennison said he loves the volunteers he works with in the Mount Vernon and Lisbon communities, and that whenever he is feeling overwhelmed doing this work, he walks down the street and runs into a volunteer from now or years ago that remind him of why he does this work.
“That leaves me refreshed and ready to return to the office and get back to making a difference in my community,” Jennison said.
Jennison said he has published 15 annual reports in his time as director, and those highlight some of his favorite accomplishments in the role as CDG director –
He recalled the creation of Mount Vernon After Dark, a unique fundraiser used to help fund the organization in 2010.
“We charged $20 per person to see five Uptown apartments including mine (above Mount Vernon Insurance at the time),” Jennison said. “We partnered each apartment with live music, donated food, and a local artist who painted original art as we toured. We raised more than enough money to make up the loss and at the end of the night, volunteer Sonia Redmond and myself were counting $20 bills on my bed as a group of board members and other assorted volunteer giggled and finished off the rest of the donated wine and food.”
The RAGRBRAI stops in 2012 and 2015 were another favorite memory, drawing on many volunteers and community members to work together to welcome the thousands of riders.
“In 2012, Stephanie West dressed as a showgirl to my Elvis as we shimmied and shook and fist-bumped riders into town; in 2015, volunteers created a giant album cover that Greg West, Chris Andrews, myself and NIck Nissen crawled in to create a live Beatles album for selfies,” Jennison said.
He also has fond memories of the Frank Benesh Uptown Theater A-Go-Go!” telethon that added air conditioning to the auditorium in First Street Community Theater.
That fundraiser raised $17,000 in one night and air conditioned the space, as well as new theater seats for the community theater. The A-Go-Gos have went on to continue that celebration with the Uptown Theater Honors, recognizing volunteers who have made an impact in Mount Vernon and Lisbon’s arts and culture.
Then, there’s of course the memory of Zip Code Day, the festival honoring Mount Vernon’s Zip Code dreamed up by volunteers Richard Kohl and Kelley Wells. That included a parade, ice cream, time capsule, performances and a photograph of the town in 52314 formation.
Ann Booth was one of the first winners in the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Open4Business Contest in 2015.
“Since that time, we have won $117,000 in this contest for several local businesses,” Jennison said.
In 2018, MVLCDG hosted the Smithsonian traveling exhibit “Home Town Teams: How Sports Shape America.”
Mount Vernon was the leader in a leg of that museum tour that exhibited across the state, including stops in other Main Street Iowa towns.
Jennison also said one of his favorite memories was being honored with Main Street Iowa’s “Spirit of Main Street Award” in 2019, an award that is not given out every year, and one only one other Main Street Iowa community has been awarded.
“Our volunteers were all gathered in Des Moines under the pretense that we were there for another award,” Jennison said. “That award came and went without us winning. At the end of the award presentation, the announcers mentioned one other award and started playing a video about it. I heard Bridget O’Connor, who was there with her family, whispering ‘wait that looks like Mount Vernon…’ And, sure enough we were all called onstage to be given the award by the governor herself.”
Pocket Park was another of his favorite memories, and that photo on the cover of the annual report in 2021 shows the entire story, in Jennison’s eyes.
“A group of volunteers, all of whom worked tirelessly to see the project through, together at the opening with large smiles that reflect love and joy and pride: “We did it! We did it! We did it!,’” Jennison said.
Just last year, MV Brews, LLC, received $100,000 from the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Challenge Grant program.

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MV Brews was the most recent recipient of an Iowa Economic Development Authority challenge grant this past fall. Jennison said more than 11 businesses have benefitted from those grant competitions during his tenure.