Casey Barnes, CEcD
Vice Chair of Membership Growth and Engagement
Vice President of Economic Development
Orlando Economic Partnership
Thanks to you, FEDC has seen, on average, 20 new members per year over the last four years, which brings us to 460 individual members across 187 public entities, private businesses, and public-private partnerships. I believe this growth results from the many ways you engage with your peers through FEDC to develop, lead, and promote important elements of economic, workforce, and community development.
This newsletter outlines many of these opportunities for FY 2022-23 and seeks your Willingness to Serve through a survey. If you are a member of FEDC, please thoughtfully convey your areas of interest in supporting the work of FEDC and the newly formed research and education foundation.
FEDC’s signature professional development event, the Annual Conference, and our scholarship programs will be delivered through the foundation along with research on areas affecting the profession, such as workforce housing, and the development of training and education programs to increase the capacity and competitiveness of Florida economic, workforce, and community development.
To kick us off and emphasize our belief in the value of economic development to any state’s growth and success, the Orlando Economic Partnership is pleased to contribute $2,500 to the new FEDC Foundation in support of economic development research and education.
FEDC Foundation Advisory Committee – Jennifer Taylor, Chair, President and CEO of GrowFL, Michelle Bauer, CEcD, Vice Chair, COO of Tampa Bay EDC, Lucienne Pears, Vice Chair of Finance, VP of Business and Economic Development for Babcock Ranch.
Jennifer, Michelle, and Lucienne invite interested FEDC members to join the foundation advisory committee to prioritize research projects and identify critical elements of education programs that will strengthen Florida’s competitiveness.
FEDC Foundation Professional Development Committee – Keith Norden, CEcD, Vice Chair of PD, Team Volusia CEO.
As part of the FEDC Foundation, this committee is responsible for promoting and growing FEDC’s scholarship programs for professional growth and development through organizations such as IEDC, OU, EDI, C2ER, and AEDL.
We need your participation to drive research and development of custom
education programs to address gaps in Florida’s economic development competitiveness. Learn more about each scholarship and help FEDC create new offerings.
FEDC Foundation FL 2030 Task Force – Sites with infrastructure and a Talent pipeline to attract and grow Manufacturers and related Industries.
Since 2018, this task force has developed strategies to meet three of the Florida 2030 goals:
• Top state for gross domestic product and top quartile most diversified state economy
• Doubling Florida’s rural share of GDP
• 100% of regional economic development plans aligned with Florida 2030 goals
A 2022-23 focus continues with emphasis on becoming a top 5 manufacturing state as outlined in the Florida Trade and Logistics Study.
Join this task force to engage in discussion and solutions around
preparing sites and talent and redesigning Florida’s economic development toolkit.
FEDC Foundation Talent for Projects and Pipelines Task Force – Warren Baucom, Southwest Regional Director, Lee County Economic Development, Dr. Jennifer Fryns, College of Central FL, Dr. Sherryl Weems, Daytona State College, Dr. Michael Erny, Northwest FL State College.
The FEDC Foundation and the Florida College System have joined forces to leverage and share best practices in talent solutions for economic development projects and the longer-term development of talent pipelines for targeted industries.
Join us to create new relationships and engage in education and training policies and tools such as REACH – Reimaging Education and Career Help, the state’s focus on rapid credentialing, CTE, work-based learning through apprenticeships, and best practices in deploying Florida’s Job Growth Grant Fund to job creation in your region.
FEDC Advocacy Committee – David Coddington, Vice Chair of Advocacy and Communications, GFLAlliance.
This committee prepares FEDC’s annual legislative priorities for consideration by the Board of Directors.
They also plan the annual FEDC Legislative Webinar inviting House and Senate Members along with strategic partners to address topics of interest to the profession. Members receive regular updates to relevant bills filed and moving in each chamber and develop calls to action to FEDC members as the bills move through committee stops.
The committee promotes and participates in Florida Economic
Development Week, a social media campaign showcasing economic, workforce, and community development best practices. Additionally, the committee may plan and execute a press event in the
Capitol Rotunda, announcing legislative priorities and highlighting #FLEconDevWeek23.
