Handt Reference Profile Confidential-Not for Public Distribution
Kristina Handt
Elected Official Has known candidate for 4 years
o Hard worker,does not abandon the goal
o Works tirelessly to get buy in from others
o Does not shrink from a challenge
o Good experience in planning,finance and HR
o Well-prepared, provides excellent information and directly answers tough
questions
o Was able to get United Pioneer Home, an assisted living facility,
accomplished; it had been planned for many years and the candidate got this
project off the ground
o Always got behind board decisions, even if they were different from what
she recommended
o The village was divided about economic development. The board originally
directed the candidate to work on an industrial park. The issue was
contentious. As board members changed, the candidate was associated with
the industrial park instead of the board that approved this direction.
o Developed a lodging tax to provide a source of revenue to promote the
village and other projects to stimulate economic development
Direct Report Has known candidate for 4 years
o Strong financial skill set
o Good personality for dealing with immediate or urgent needs, doesn't get
overwhelmed
o Deternuned and focused
o Straight forward communicator
o Has stood up for unpopular board decisions on a regular basis and was able
to defend and represent their decisions to staff and public
o Depending on the issue, she can both delegate and take care of the details
herself; willing to take on either role-the delegator or the doer
o Could take more time off of work to focus on herself instead of work
Community Member Has known candidate for 4 years
o Works well with legislative officials
o Very involved with professional organizations and committees
o Promotes parmerships and cooperation with neighboring entities
o Multi-faceted interests,doesn't focus on one area of management
o Professional when working with others
o High level of interaction with state officials; feels comfortable working with
any level of official or staff member
o Adapts to new situations comfoRably, including unstable board dynamics or
turnover between board members
o Able to delegate tasks to other professionals, but also willing to take things
on if she is the best person to address an issue.
o Works well between groups coming from divisive sides of a position; able
to keep things professional and calm when working with the public and
unpopular decisions
o Doesn't set unrealistic expectations, but is determined when given a task to
complete it to the board's expectations
o Organized and pulled together - able to provide concise and consistent
information to the board
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