Staff
Staff Directory
Nicolas Hockenberry
Director
Nicolas Hockenberry joined the Jackson County Economic Alliance in September 2014, and took the role of Director in 2018. At the JCEA, Nicolas' responsibilities include business retention and expansion meetings with industry, business attraction, new business development, community development, workforce development, and planning and implementing strategic goals to increase economic development opportunities.
Nicolas is a graduate of the University of Iowa, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Anthropology with a focus on cultural systems studies and public policy. He has experience engaging diverse partners around community driven goals.

David J. Heiar
Senior Advisor/Community Coach
Dave has over 35 years experience in City government in three Eastern Iowa cities which includes Bellevue, Manchester, and Dubuque. He joined the Alliance in July of 2013. His background includes downtown redevelopment, community development, rural, and urban economic development including workforce development, existing industry services, business attraction, and new business development. Heiar is a Jackson County native.

Stephanie Sagers
Office Manager/Economic Development Specialist
sagers@thejcea.org
Stephanie Sagers is a native of Jackson County. Before coming to the Jackson County Economic Alliance, she served as the Administrative Assistant for the DeWitt Chamber & Development Company in DeWitt, Iowa. In that role, she managed the day-to-day operations of the organization including bookkeeping, maintaining the organization’s database software and providing support to the Executive Director, Program & Events Coordinator and Business Education Coordinator.
Stephanie received her BA in Psychology from St. Ambrose University. She has a background in the human services field and brings with her extensive experience working in the non-profit setting. She resides in Maquoketa where she and her husband own Sagers Custom Woodworking.
