WASHINGTON, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jeffrey A. Finkle, president and CEO of the
International Economic Development Council (IEDC), has announced
his plans to retire in early-2022.
Finkle took a fragmented profession and shaped it into a powerful
industry that helps regions thrive.
The board of directors will oversee the process to select
Finkle's successor and has hired Korn Ferry to conduct the
national CEO search. Plans are to select a successor by November.
The new leader will formally start in early January and take over
in February of 2022. Finkle will serve as an advisor through
July 2022 to help ensure a seamless
transition.
Finkle has led IEDC for the past 20 years and was the president
of the Council for Urban Economic Development (CUED) for 15 years.
In 2001, CUED merged with the American Economic Development Council
(AEDC) to form IEDC, the world's largest economic development
membership organization with 5,000 members and an annual
$6 million operations budget.
"More than 30 years ago, Jeff took a profession that was
fragmented and barely understood and shaped it into an industry
that today commands the respect of both the private and public
sectors," said Tom Kucharski, IEDC
board chair and president and CEO of Invest Buffalo Niagara. "He
did this through training and certification and creative economic
recovery initiatives for communities large and small. The IEDC
staff, board and our many partners are privileged to have worked
with him and appreciate his many contributions."
Finkle is recognized for his stewardship in professionalizing
and diversifying the field of economic development, which is
focused on promoting economic well-being and quality of life in
local communities around the world. Economic development
professionals help create, retain, and expand jobs that facilitate
growth, enhance wealth and provide a stable tax base. While the
bulk of members are US-based, IEDC members are found in
Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia,
Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean. Members are employed in a wide
variety of settings including local, state, provincial and federal
governments, public-private partnerships, chambers of commerce,
universities and a variety of other institutions.
"Jeff has always put IEDC and the profession before his personal
interests, acting as a steward not only of the association but also
of the industry of economic development," said Kenny McDonald, IEDC past board chair and
president and CEO of One
Columbus.
One recent highlight under Finkle's tenure is a new program to
increase minority entrepreneurship and participation in community
economic development projects. The effort is funded in part by a
grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.
"Jeff Finkle's sense of economic
justice has weighed in alongside his understanding of how
capitalism is the lubricant of our democracy. Jeff's work has
brought all of us in economic development to a higher plane of a
far greater good," said Ioanna T.
Morfessis, PhD., past board chair of CUED.
Another notable initiative is an economic development volunteer
program that Finkle organized in 2005 to work in Gulf Coast
communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It has evolved
into a model program that helps communities recover economically
from the Covid pandemic.
"Whether it be the merger between AEDC and CUED that evolved
into the modern day IEDC or turbulent economic and political
cycles, IEDC continues to press forward under the steady leadership
of Jeff Finkle," said Craig J. Richard, IEDC past board chair and
president and CEO of Tampa Bay Economic Development Council.
Finkle previously served as deputy assistant secretary in the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and has received
numerous awards for his economic development leadership. In 1989,
he founded the Bollinger Foundation, a non-profit organization that
provides financial assistance to children who have lost a parent
who worked in the field of economic development, community
development and assisted housing. IEDC staff supports the
Bollinger Foundation.
He received a Bachelor of Science degree in communications from
Ohio University in Athens. He maintains
a strong connection with Ohio
University's Voinovich School for Leadership and Public
Affairs and serves as an Appalachian new economy fellow with the
university.
Candidates interested in the IEDC position may contact
Korn Ferry at
IEDC@KornFerry.com
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SOURCE International Economic Development Council