Sheila Bruhn will become the new Grand Forks Base Realignment Impact Committee coordinator, effective Jan. 4.
Bruhn has been serving, since 2004, as director of the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks and the Region, a nonprofit philanthropic organization.
She replaces Diane Blair, who left at the end of November for a new job in Grand Forks.
BRIC is a partnership formed in 2006 between the city of Grand Forks, Grand Forks County and the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corp. to respond to the realignment of the Grand Forks Air Force Base.
A 50-year-old mission, the 919th Air Refueling Wing and its fleet of KC-135 tanker aircraft, will be decommissioned at the end of the month. A closing ceremony was held earlier this month, when the last of the KC-135s left Grand Forks.
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In 2011, the base officially will begin a new mission, as host of a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles, the Global Hawk and the Predator.
Over the past four years, BRIC has commissioned studies to guide the community's response to the transition and worked with businesses, industries and governmental agencies to develop new economic opportunities.
The BRIC coordinator's position is funded through a federal Office of Economic Adjustment grant that is administered through Grand Forks County. The city of Grand Forks also is a partner in BRIC.
Reach Bonham at (701) 780-1110; (800) 477-6572, ext. 110; or send e-mail to kbonham@gfherald.com .
