By Chase Kamp
Southeast Valley Ledger
Brian Tapp, the Executive Director of Central Arizona Governments (CAG), announced on Aug. 13, 2012, and resigned officially on Sept. 6 to take a position at a Missouri university. Tipp was appointed Executive Director of CAG in 2010.
Tapp said in leading the organization he aimed to create a more efficient organization that could expand its breadth and more effectively address the needs of the Counties and members.
“One of the issues with CAG traditionally is that it has been so dependent on social services programs, it never really went out to provide the direct services it’s needed to provide to its members,” he said.
“When you’re so dependent on doing day-to-day stuff, you’re not aggressive and not pushing forward to new additions and new items,” he added.
However, one former director was critical of his methods in office, and some argued that CAG as a whole has not been giving small communities and rural members a reasonable share of resources and consideration.
Tapp and others agreed that new leadership at CAG will arrive at a time of good opportunity, but many invested parties are unsure how the scope and direction of CAG will take shape in the future.
Tapp will depart CAG to be the new outreach director for Southeast Missouri State University’s Douglas C. Green Innovation and Entrepreneurship center.
