OXFORD – Brett Doney says Oxford Hills was “down in the dumps” when he became president and CEO of the Growth Council of Oxford Hills 12 years ago.

Since then, he points out, the area has seen a lot of improvement.

Wednesday, Doney announced his resignation, effective Sept. 8.

Doney is moving to Montana, where he will be president and chief executive officer of the Great Falls Development Authority and High Plains Financial. He will have similar responsibilities, only with more resources and better business attraction.

“I wasn’t looking for a new position,” Doney said in an e-mail announcing his resignation, “but this fell into my lap over the last few weeks, and it seems like the right time to make a change.”

Doney said some of the council’s biggest accomplishments during his term were growth in the modular building industry and the use of loan funds that saved nearly 3,000 area jobs. Everything achieved by the council was a true community effort, Doney said.

Yet, there’s still work to do.

“I wish we had done more business attraction to bring in higher-wage jobs,” Doney said.

Doney said the two key things the next president should keep in mind are to increase incomes and convince people to go back to school.

He said he also sees the job description of the president changing to the board’s specifications.

Members on the growth council’s board of directors said Doney has been an asset to the community and they are sad to see him go.

David Holt, a member of the board and Norway’s town manager, said he wasn’t surprised at Doney’s decision.

“Folks in that line of work don’t tend to stay very long,” he said.

Holt said Doney understood the different needs of each community. While attracting big name companies to the area, he was still able to preserve the historic nature of downtown Norway.

Frank Shorey, former treasurer of the council, was on the original committee that hired Doney.

“He had the most enthusiasm,” Shorey said, “and a vision for a better Oxford.”

Doney said he was recruited for the position.

“The community sold itself to me,” Doney said.