Sherburne County has a couple of new faces - a new economic development coordinator and a new county attorney.

Economic Development Coordinator

Brian Fleming has been serving as the new economic development coordinator for less than a year. He replaced Jessica Barthel in the position in August after she left to pursue opening her own business. Fleming noted he feels like he’s been “learning by fire hose” in the months since. 

Fleming has graduate degrees in cybersecurity and Adlerian psychology in leadership. He is also pursuing a doctorate degree in business administration. Fleming previously worked for the city of St. Cloud as a code compliance specialist. Fleming says he’s loved the change, since at his previous job he always had to tell people why they couldn’t do what they wanted, but his new position gives him the ability to lean in, say yes to requests, and figure out how to make it work. 

Some of Fleming’s current projects include working through the housing trust fund program that was established in February. In order to help meet the future housing needs of the county (with an estimated need of 5,000 new housing options by 2030), Fleming and his team are looking into rehabilitating the current housing stock. 

Fleming is also working directly with local businesses on retention and expansion projects. Part of this includes the county’s revolving loan fund financing, where businesses applying for a bank loan can also get a loan from the county. 

Fleming and his department are also taking a hard look at childcare services available in the county. The goal is to support parents who want (or need) to be in the workforce to the best of their ability. 

Fleming’s projects are based on the county’s five-year strategic plan, which is available on the county website.

County Attorney

Dawn Nyhus recently became the new county attorney following the retirement of Kathy Heaney. Nyhus has been serving with the department since 2008. 

Nyhus knew Heaney was considering retirement, and, in her desire to continue to serve the county, decided to step into Heaney’s big shoes. 

Nyhus said she’s very fortunate, since she already knows the department and the staff very well. She says the staff members in her department are great. 

While Nyhus doesn’t have any new projects she is taking on as the new department lead, she says she is focusing on continuing the hard work the department had started with her predecessor. She’s also using the change in leadership to evaluate current practices. 

Since 2020, the department has gotten through its giant backlog of cases that built up due to courts being shut down. However, the system as a whole has permanently changed due to COVID-19 restrictions. The state now mandates that certain types of cases be done digitally, though Nyhus says her department is prioritizing continuing to keep court in person as much as is possible. Sometimes, this means requesting that case types normally handled digitally be handled in a physical court instead. Nyhus said the department will continue to seek the protection of everyone’s rights. 

More information about the county attorney’s office and links to victim services can be found on the county website.