Jennifer Wakefield, APR, is the President and Chief Executive Officer for the Greater Richmond Partnership(GRP). In her role, she is responsible for collaborating with public and private sector stakeholders to set and drive the organizational vision. She assumed her current role in February 2021 after serving as Interim President and CEO. During her stint at GRP, she created a new strategic framework, doubled the size of the Board, increased funding, and created new committees to engage investors in the work of GRP. Prior to joining GRP, Jennifer served as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Orlando Economic Development Commission (now the OrlandoEconomic Partnership) for 11 years. There, she launched a branding campaign bringing international attention to the region and induced the highest funding in organizational history. In her 20+ year career, she has garnered extensive experience in strategic planning, marketing, and communications, operations, and management and is a recognized thought leader in developing marketing strategies for economic development. In addition to economic development, she has experience in the transportation, utility and financial services industries. Jennifer has a master’s degree in communications from the University of Central Florida and a bachelor’s degree in public relations and advertising from the University of West Florida. She holds the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) designation and is a former adjunct professor. Jennifer serves as the chair of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Marketing Committee, is a member on the IEDC Economic Development Research Practitioners (EDRP) council, and is a regular presenter at IEDC marketing courses. She is also a member of the American Marketing Association (AMA) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). In Greater Richmond, she holds a seat on the Management Roundtable, the Richmond Federal Reserve Industry Roundtable, University of Richmond Robins School Executive Advisory Council, the City of Richmond Economic Vitality Advisory Committee, the I-64 Innovation Corridor Research Council, the Japan-Virginia Society and is part of the VCU Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Cluster Development Program. Among Jennifer’s accolades is being named aTop 50 Economic Developers by Consultant Connect, Top 40 Under 40 Economic Development Professionals by Development Counsellors International and International Economic Development Council, and Top 40 Under 40 professionals in Orlando by the Orlando Business Journal.