Falon Runnebaum joins EcoDevo as new AmeriCorps VISTA

For the next year, Falon Runnebaum will be working with Stafford County Economic Development as the AmeriCorps Workforce Development VISTA. Before moving to St. John, Falon was living in Kansas City, Mo. She has also lived in various locations throughout Kansas such as Beattie, Waterville, Halstead, and Lawrence. While in Lawrence, she attended the University of Kansas and earned a degree in Anthropology with a minor in Peace and Conflict Studies. Falon is elated to get back to her small-town roots and work toward creating a more robust workforce county-wide.

The AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program specifically focuses on eliminating poverty through capacity building. In other words, working behind the scenes on things like developing programs, securing funding, and raising awareness.

As the Workforce Development VISTA, Falon will focus on researching and designing workforce training programs, as well as assisting with initiatives around affordable housing and childcare which are critical to supporting a labor force.

“It’s great to have another AmeriCorps member join our team. I’m excited to work with Falon and see what progress we can make over the next year,” said Kathleen Norman, Assistant Director of Stafford County Economic Development.

Stafford County Economic Development has one additional AmeriCorps VISTA position open. The Public Health VISTA will help to protect and improve the health of people and their communities in Stafford County.  For more information on this position go to staffordecodevo.com/americorps-vista or call 620-549-3527.