IEDC's Senior Director of Entrepreneurship on the benefits of supporting entrepreneurship-led economic development

Please contact your Members of Congress in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate and urge them to support this supplemental measure.

Economic Recovery Corps fellow Beverly Lee is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and a champion of aerospace- and technology-driven economic development. She is working with ERC host organization Tullahoma (Tenn.) Area Economic Development Corporation to grow an inclusive STEM workforce and increase the region’s economic resilience.

IEDC is proud to announce a new cohort of certified Entrepreneurship Development Professionals (EDPs)! The EDP credential is designed to build capacity for those supporting entrepreneurship in their communities, and demonstrates the skills and expertise to steer communities through entrepreneurship-led economic development (ELED).

IEDC sent a letter to U.S. Congressional leadership and appropriators today advocating for a disaster supplemental that prioritizes EDA disaster funding to help aid communities in the Southeast region impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. IEDC was joined by signatories the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), the Development District Association of Appalachia (DDAA), the National League of Cities (NLC), and the State Economic Development Executives Network (SEDE). House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has signaled that a disaster supplemental will be a priority when Congress reconvenes after the November elections. To date, Speaker Johnson is awaiting damage calculations from both storms.

Please send an email to your member(s) of Congress serving in the U.S. House of Representatives to support the reauthorization of EDA.