By JOHN E. WEARE, KAB
Danny Anderson sat across from me in a booth at the Bean Broker just before his first official day as executive director of Keep Chadron Beautiful (KChB). The guy looks like somebody who should head a Keep America Beautiful affiliate with a bio to match: a hiker/photographer with a degree from Berkeley who has been invested in the community as a family man, CSC student (Masters in Organizational Management) and champion of the local art scene among other interests.
Former director Susan Hucke handed over the reins as the calendar flipped to May. Susan was great to work with this past year as KChB committed to resuming public access to recycling. What this northern Panhandle non-profit has brought to the Chadron area appealed to Danny. The position became available, he said, emphasizing their ideology aligns with Keep America Beautiful with a new board that has been working on restarting recycling. “So when it opened up I jumped at the opportunity.”
Any business or organization seeking leadership desires a candidate who will be an optimum fit and possesses the skills and desire to achieve their mission, which is “To empower individuals to take responsibility for community environments,” at Keep Chadron Beautiful.
Before coming on board Danny assisted residents in controlling their home environments as an energy auditor at Northwest Community Action Partnership. Looking ahead, he is passionate about teaching children through the education aspect of KChB. Danny will work with an education coordinator, who is also a mother, in the process of joining the team. She will develop a curriculum for schools this fall. Katie, the cardboard hauler, has already been plying her route of about 50 businesses around town and has arrived at the Keep Alliance Beautiful recycling center pulling a full trailer like clockwork once or twice a week.
Board members at KChB take an active part – good role models as the organization considers its next moves. “We seem like we run a parallel path,” Danny said, explaining the board is forming various committees in response to the question, “What does Chadron need?” In regard to recycling, the Solid Waste Management Agency of NW Nebraska (SWANN), former provider of those services, “is interested in helping any way they can,” Danny said.
During this transition period, including a move to a former law office that also houses Veteran Services in the 300 block of Main Street, Danny has been tapping existing connections that Susan established over the years. Volunteer involvement will come into play this spring and summer on an assortment of projects and activities. Danny, who heads Chadron Open Art based at TaDa Art Studio, is looking at downtown facade upgrades and encouraging people to adopt and beautify intersection corners as KChB presents an outlet for people to take pride in their community. He said, “What’s great is we’re not out here alienating a population. . . . people need an outlet to expand their creativity.”
Wondering what’s next at KChB? Expect to learn something, whether it is the range of recyclables that are accepted or how to sign up for a composting class. The latter is old hat at the Anderson house. They also host a wild pollinator garden and, overall, strive to have “as little of a human carbon footprint as possible.” Danny and his wife, Ashley, have three children: Archie, Poppy and Huey. He met Ashley, who has family in Chadron, through mutual friends in the music and art scene in the San Francisco Bay Area where he earned a bachelor’s degree, Fine Arts Focus – Intaglio Print Making, in 2007. The move to Northwest Nebraska has meant a slower pace and a quiter place to raise a family. Danny enjoys medium format photography and likes to go to museums and the forest.