Log in

Region’s first federally designated Economic Development District elects officers

Posted

Special to The Community News

The board of the North Central Texas Economic Development District (NCTEDD) elected Marty Wieder, Grand Prairie Economic Development Director, as the first Chair of the new federally designated economic development district for the North Central Texas region on Oct. 13.

Marty Wieder

Fred Schmidt

Kassandra Carroll

Wieder, who has more than 29 years of economic development experience, will preside over the NCTEDD for the next year. Prior to joining the City of Grand Prairie as its Economic Development Director in May 2016, Wieder served as Director of Economic Development with the City of Colleyville for seven years. Wieder also previously worked with GSBS Architects’ Texas office as Director of Marketing, Planning and Project Development, as well as in economic development-related positions with the City of North Richland Hills, the Northeast Tarrant and Arlington Chambers of Commerce and at the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

Fred Schmidt, Assistant to the President, Tarrant College – Northeast Campus, was elected Vice-Chair of the NCTEDD Board. Schmidt has more than18 years of experience in the manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics field. He leads the Steering /Task team program, campus improvement projects, serves on the campus budget council, and drives initiatives for workforce development training, and is spearheading strategic projects to create career pathway models with stackable credentials focused on career entry leading to middle-skills employment.

Kassandra Carroll, Economic Development Coordinator for the City of Waxahachie, was elected NCTEDD Secretary. Carroll has more than 15 years of economic development experience, with expertise in recruiting and growing companies for the City of Waxahachie and planning for the future growth of the community. Additionally, she is an Advisory Board member of the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce and served on the Waxahachie Strategic Plan Committee and the Midlothian Manufacturers Association.

The North Central Texas Region, which covers 16 counties (Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise counties) and their cities, school districts and special districts, was designated as an Economic Development District by the U. S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA). The establishment of the region as an economic development district makes local government projects eligible to receive EDA funding. Through EDA, funding is available for infrastructure improvements based on job creation.

Over the past two years, economic development stakeholders in the region from cities, counties, education institutions, chambers of commerce, economic development corporations, private sector, and workforce development boards have worked together, in conjunction with the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), to satisfy the requirements to be designated as a district, including the development of a required Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the region. The CEDS serves as a regionally planned guideline of strategies for continued and new economic development growth. The NCTEDD maintains and updates the CEDS every five years.

The NCTEDD Board functions as an advisory board to the NCTCOG Executive Board, the policy-making body for NCTCOG, which appointed and seated the 30-member NCTEDD Board. Among its duties, the District Board will provide an oversight and evaluation system for the programs of the economic development district, which will serve as a regional clearinghouse, coordinating information about available federal aid and distributing that information to local governments. The district offers a range of services to help local governments finance development projects, inform local governments of funding sources, assist in the preparation of their grant or loan applications, and help administer funded projects to ensure compliance with federal and state requirements.

In addition to the three officers, Board members include:

  • Rick Loessberg, Director of Planning & Development, Dallas County;
  • Lisa McMillan, Economic Development Coordinator, Tarrant County;
  • Scott Jones, Director of Economic Development, Navarro County and City of Corsicana;
  • Dr. Bruce Wood, County Judge, Kaufman County;
  • Greg Sims, President & CEO, The Greenville Board of Development & Greenville 4a Economic Development Corporation;
  • Diana Miller, Executive Director, Johnson County EDC;
  • Marty Nelson, Director of Economic Development, City of Ennis;
  • Sheri Franza, President, Rockwall Economic Development Corporation, J. D. Clark, County Judge, Wise County;
  • Robert Sturns, Economic Development Director, City of Fort Worth;
  • David Schleg, Senior Coordinator Economic Development, City of Dallas;
  • Erica Sullivan, Economic Development Analyst, City of Denton;
  • Craig Hulse, Director of Economic Development, City of North Richland Hills;
  • Scott Welmaker, Director of Economic Development, City of Mansfield;
  • Jennette Killingsworth-Espinosza, Little Elm Economic Development Cooperation;
  • Warren Ketteman, Director of Economic Development, City of Forney;
  • Orlando Campos, Director, Economic Development & Tourism, Town of Addison;
  • Michael Talley, Director of Economic Development, City of Keene;
  • Dr. John Hubbard, Executive Director, Stephenville Economic Development Authority;
  • Mickey Hillock, President, Hillock Foods, Inc., Navarro County;
  • Jack Thompson, Economic Developer and President, Orasi Development;
  • Dr. Jim Quick, Associate Vice President for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies, SMU;
  • Judy McDonald, Executive Director, Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County;
  • Kevin Holzbog, Executive Director, Bridgeport Economic Development Corporation;
  • Margaret Selid, Director of Economic Development, Dallas Regional Chamber;
  • Leslie Leerskov, Director of Navarro Small Business Development Center;
  • and Janie Havel, Economic Development and Tourism, Governor’s Office.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here