Dr. LaDrina Wilson: Help us ‘create the talent machine we need here in the Quad Cities’

When asked to lead the Quad Cities Chamber’s Together We Win investment campaign, Dr. LaDrina Wilson signed on without hesitation.

Wilson, Vice President for Student Services at Black Hawk College, believes it’s “the right thing to do.” She sees it as an opportunity to develop future generations of talent in the Quad Cities, a community that's invested in her personal and professional growth since she was a child living in a single-parent household.

“The Chamber’s dedicated to developing talent, and part of this investment campaign is to be able to expand those services,” said Wilson, campaign co-chair and Treasurer of the Chamber Board of Directors. “Without the help of the people in this community who are dedicated to developing and fostering an environment where talent can thrive – without that – we have nothing.”

The Together We Win campaign launched in 2019 after the Chamber set these ambitious goals in alignment with the Q2030 Regional Action Plan:

• 500,000 population
• $40 billion gross regional product (GRP)
• 25% engagement of employers in the six-county region

So far, 52 companies have committed investments in the Chamber to help win the race for talent and economic prosperity, accounting for 64 percent of the Chamber's goal of $2.9 million per year in member investments. 

Joining Wilson as the other co-chair of the investment campaign cabinet is John DeDoncker, President of the Midwest Division of TBK Bank.

“As we go through this investment campaign, I know that in order for us to win, we all have to be on the same page,” Wilson said. “I see the Chamber as the source to be able to handle talent development and create the talent machine we need here in the Quad Cities.”