News & Resources
SEDE Hosts Meeting for Top Executives (SEDE) The State Economic Development Executives (SEDE) Network is holding its summer meeting for state economic development executives or their top deputy in Washington, DC on the afternoon of May 4th in conjunction with SelectUSA activities. Leaders are encouraged to attend SelectUSA and take time to stop over for this afternoon SEDE meeting which will be just two blocks from the Investment Summit. Much of the meeting will be dedicated to opportunities for networking among the state economic development commissioners, secretaries and executive directors or their top deputy. Registration and agenda will be available in the coming weeks.
Proposed Biomanufacturing Center May Create Competition Among States (SSTI) The proposed Biomanufacturing Excellence Act approves a single National Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Center of Excellence within NIST. It authorizes $120 million in FY 2026 for NIST to conduct a competitive process to select one non-federal entity to build and operate the center. Eligible applicants include public-private partnerships, institutions of higher education, and multi-institution consortia. Because only a single awardee will be chosen, the proposed legislation likely sets up what is likely to be a stiff competition among many states which have made life sciences and manufacturing key elements of their innovation strategies. These criteria seem to strongly favor regions where industry, academia, and government already collaborate around biomanufacturing.
Rural Economic Development Tool (Center on Rural Innovation) Every strong local economy is built on good decisions. Good decisions start with clear data. CORI’s Rural Economic Development Tool helps rural leaders move from raw numbers to real insight. It brings together 25 critical indicators, spanning workforce, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, and quality of life, so communities can see what’s working, where opportunity is emerging, and where action matters most. This is data designed to support strategy, strengthen grant applications, and guide long-term investment – without requiring a data team or technical expertise.
Webinar Recap: Use AI to Research Key Stakeholders and Partners (Building Better Regions EDA CoP) This webinar, hosted by the Building Better Regions Community of Practice, shared information on how participants could leverage AI tools to make stakeholder engagement more responsive, efficient, and impactful. AI can assist with gaining a deeper understanding of a partner or organization that you may be interested in partnering with or receiving funding from, conducting deep research to be better informed when engaging. A recording of the webinar can be found here.
State Leader Spotlight
Andrew Deye, Vice President of Strategy, JobsOhio
Andrew Deye serves as Vice President of Strategy at JobsOhio. In this role, Andrew leads strategy, global business development and research functions at JobsOhio, the state’s private economic development corporation. Since its creation, JobsOhio and its partners have successfully served over 2,500 companies including over 450 new-to-Ohio investments.
Previously, Andrew worked in investment banking for 8 years most recently as a Vice President at Greenhill & Co. During that time, Andrew provided financial advice to governments, corporations and infrastructure investors on a broad range of transactions (including public-private partnerships, M&A, restructurings and financings) totaling over $40 billion.
A Cincinnati native, Andrew holds a BS in business administration from Georgetown University and a master’s degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
State Leaders on the Move
Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade
We’re pleased to share recent leadership changes across State Economic Development leaders. Join us in celebrating these transitions and welcoming new leaders to our community!
Outgoing Leader: Juan Pablo Segura, Secretary of Commerce and Trade
Juan Pablo led economic growth as the Secretary for the Commonwealth of Virginia through a variety of initiatives and agencies, including the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation, Virginia Housing, and more. He oversaw 13 agencies with over 1,300 team members and a $3 billion budget as Secretary.
Incoming Leader: Carrie Chenery, Secretary of Commerce and Trade
Carrie is a native Virginian with two decades of experience in economic development, public policy, government relations, and strategic communications through both public service and private business. Her career spans identifying business growth opportunities for clients, leading a regional economic development organization, managing economic development policy for Virginia’s largest private industries, and shepherding legislative and budgetary priorities through the Virginia General Assembly.
Across the States: Developments to Know
Meeting the Childcare Challenge: Opportunities for Economic Development Districts (NADO) Childcare costs and shortages are increasingly recognized as barriers to comprehensive regional development. This report examines the drivers of the challenge and the impact it has had in communities across the country. It highlights roles that EDDs are playing to increase childcare accessibility, quality, and affordability in their communities, and has recommendations for districts who have not yet been involved with childcare initiatives.
New York Could Offer Universal Childcare in $4.5B Plan (Newsweek) New York has taken the first step toward significantly expanding access to free and low-cost childcare for children under five in the state, with universal child care for those under two in New York City. The move puts NYC to be the first city in the nation to provide free universal childcare.
DoD to Invest $1B into Company with Regional Presence (Dayton Daily News) The U.S. Department of Defense will invest $1 billion into L3Harris Technologies to expand production of solid rocket motors. The announcement marks the first direct-to-supplier of this kind. The investment will expand production capacity in Ohio.