4CED CEO Arvin Trujillo stepping down; search for replacement begins quickly

FARMINGTON — Officials at Four Corners Economic Development Inc. are searching for a new leader for the organization after Arvin Trujillo, who has served as CEO since 2019, announced he is moving on.

Trujillo made the announcement in a March 17 news release. He said he has accepted a position as senior adviser and executive administrator to Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren. Trujillo’s last day with 4CED will be March 31, according to the news release.

Trujillo said Nygren approached him about joining his staff, explaining that he is excited about the possibility of providing the Navajo president with some expertise in the area of energy and initiating some strategic planning in the field of economic development.

Many of the areas he will be working on in Nygren’s office will overlap with what Trujillo already was doing at 4CED, he said. He noted that during his time with the organization, he had worked to build a stronger partnership with the Navajo Nation on such issues as securing the return of rail service to San Juan County and initiating a hydrogen demonstration project at Navajo Agricultural Products Industry as part of a western regional hydrogen hub.

He will remember his time at 4CED fondly, Trujillo said, explaining that the organization has come a long way in recent years.

“The one thing I’m really proud about is not only stabilizing the organization but getting some projects going to start economic development,” he said.

Trujillo said the memorandum of understanding he helped craft between San Juan County officials and Navajo Nation officials paved the way for a $2 million grant to study the feasibility of bringing back rail service to the county.

“I feel really good about that and optimistic about getting that in place,” he said.

4CED also played a big role in initiating the Growers Market Alliance, an organization that promotes the interests of local farmers and facilitates areas in which they can work together, he said.

Additionally, 4CED has launched a major new initiative focused on business retention and expansion, he said, a program that is being led by Nancy Shepherd and Carmen Martinez. The organization also is working on a program to beautify the entry corridors into San Juan County to improve the perceptions of visitors, he said.

But a good deal of work remains to be done, he said, explaining that 4CED needs to continue to build additional relationships with partners throughout the region.

He said there is an abundance of federal aid available to San Juan County for economic development efforts, given its status as a coal-reliant community, but he said the process of applying for and being awarded that money is complicated and time consuming. Nevertheless, 4CED and its local partners must persist in those efforts, he said.

Scott Bird, who has worked as a consultant to 4CED for the past three years, will serve as the organization’s interim CEO until a replacement is hired. Bird said he does not intend to seek the position permanently, and he will serve as one of the members of the search committee that will begin meeting this week to find a new CEO.

Bird said it is his understanding that a national search will be conducted, and he estimated the process might take several months.

“I would think we’d be lucky to have it filled by September,” he said.

Jeremiah Hayes, the board chairman at 4CED, could not be reached for comment by The Daily Times.

Trujillo said 4CED is blessed with a hard-working board that understands its mission very well, and he said he appreciative of how the business community and the community at large supported 4CED during this time there.

“I just hope that continues when I go to the Navajo Nation,” he said.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Arvin Trujillo joining staff of Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren