We are excited to let you know that the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment Public Works (EPW) just unveiled the bipartisan Economic Development Reauthorization Act of 2024 (S. 3891), legislation that would reauthorize the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) and its programs for the first time in over 20 years. Specifically, the bill amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (PWEDA) (P.L. 89-136).

The Committee plans to mark up the bill March 12 in the full EPW Committee. We need your help to urge your members on the EWP Committee to support S. 3891.

"...This critical bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), the only federal agency solely focused on economic development...We commend this bill and support its passage through committee and the full Senate."  - Nathan Ohle, IEDC President & CEO

President & CEO Nathan Ohle joins Will Warren and Neil Warren of the Appalachia Meets World podcast discusses what it means to be an economic developer, the impact of economic development, and our recently launched Economic Recovery Corps.

This month, IEDC and its partners ushered in the first Economic Recovery Corps (ERC) cohort with a dynamic kickoff event in Portland, Oregon. Funded by EDA, the ERC program is a forward-thinking initiative designed to build capacity in economically distressed areas across the United States and cultivate the next generation of economic development leaders.

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) welcomes Julia Kraeger, a nationally known leader in non-profit strategy and public policy impact, as the Chief Operating Officer (COO). 

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and its partners are excited to announce the first cohort of Economic Recovery Corps (ERC) fellows and
host communities. Launched in 2023 through a $30 million cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), ERC is designed to build capacity in some of the hardest-hit and most economically distressed areas across the United States while cultivating the next generation of economic development leaders.

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is excited to announce that U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly will be a keynote speaker at the 2024 Leadership Summit, in partnership with Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC). Kelly will address economic development leaders from around the world on Sunday, February 4, highlighting his career, legislative leadership, and how he is working to drive rural economic prosperity throughout Arizona and the nation.

Pava's passion for place-based initiatives and supporting traditionally under-resourced entrepreneurial ecosystems inspired her team to develop a program in her honor - PLACE Builders (Pava LaPere Award for Cultivating Ecosystems). In partnership with Forward Cities, EcoMap's PLACE Builders initiative is a 4-month fellowship program that will empower eight ecosystem builders nationwide.