Mickey Fornaro-Dean
Economic Development Director
Junction City Chamber of Commerce

Mickey Fornaro-Dean is a native of North Carolina but became a Kansan in grade school when her parents moved to Kansas.

She is a graduate of Kansas State University with emphasis in Marketing, Public Relations and Political Science.

She has been involved and practicing Economic Development in Kansas for the past 28 years. There isn’t a segment of this business she isn’t passionate about. Her personal favorite is manufacturing and industrial applications.

 Mickey has her Economic Development Finance Professional certification from NDC. She has served multiple terms on the Board of Kansas Economic Development Alliance and has been president of the origination three times. She has been involved in numerous state and regional boards and is proud to be a leadership Fellow with the international group, Industrial Asset Management (IAMC). She currently sits on the Mid-America Economic Development Council’s board of directors. This group represents economic development education and needs for 12 states in the mid-west.

Last year Mickey was honored to receive the “Master Practitioner” certificate of Advanced Leadership in Economic Development from the collaboration of Clemson, University of Alabama, Texas Christian University and University of Southern Mississippi.

In her spare time, Mickey and her husband, Jere Dean, enjoy their grandchildren, horses and outdoor activities which include competitive chuck wagon cooking.