McDonald has served as president and chief economic officer of One Columbus, formerly Columbus 2020, since the organization’s inception in 2010. He has helped lead the execution of the One Columbus Regional Growth Strategy and development of the Columbus Region’s competitiveness agenda, and he has also built local and national partnerships that have accelerated the area’s development.

McDonald has over 20 years of regional economic development and management consulting experience focused on helping companies develop and execute their location strategies and helping communities achieve their goals.

He has an extensive economic development background, having held positions in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and New Mexico. He was also a principal consultant at Fluor’s Global Locations Strategies unit, working with companies to evaluate locations across North America, Asia and Europe.

McDonald has worked with a variety of industries including automotive, biotechnology, aerospace, pharma and advanced electronics. He has consulted manufacturing and logistics operations and advised numerous headquarters, research and development, and technology facilities.

He is a Certified Economic Developer by the International Economic Development Council and serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the International Economic Development Council until his term as Chair begins on January 1, 2020, and is committed to developing the profession to meet the changing needs of business and government. He also serves on numerous local boards of directors and is a frequent speaker on the subject of regional economic competitiveness.

Kenny resides with his wife and three children in New Albany.