Movers
Bill Cork crosses the state line to lead the Texas Economic Development Council
The Texas Economic Development Council has named Bill Cork its next president and CEO. He starts Nov. 1, taking over from Carlton Schwab, who is retiring after leading the council since February 1999.
Cork comes from next door, professionally speaking. He ran the Mississippi Development Authority after Gov. Tate Reeves appointed him executive director in December 2023, following a stint as the agency's deputy director, and retired from state service at the end of September. Now he inherits what the council calls the largest state association of economic development professionals in the country.
"I am honored to join the TEDC and to serve the professionals and communities that make this state competitive," Cork said.
Mississippi Power puts economic, workforce and community development under Jamie Miller
Mississippi Power has named Jamie M. Miller senior director of economic, workforce and community development, a newly expanded role that pulls the utility's economic development, workforce, community and philanthropy work under one leader. Miller reports to president and CEO Pedro Cherry.
Miller has spent the past several years as president and CEO of the Gulf Coast Business Council, which picked him as its fourth chief executive in 2022. Before that he led the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and served on the Mississippi Development Authority's executive team, with earlier work in municipal planning, post-Katrina recovery and as a congressional chief of staff.
Shakers
Asheville's EDC takes its bow in New Orleans
The Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County is being honored this week at IEDC's annual conference in New Orleans as its 2026 Economic Development Organization of the Year in the 200,000 to 500,000 population category. Executive director Clark Duncan is accepting the Gold award.
The coalition built its year around recovery from Hurricane Helene. It credits its AVL 5×5 2030 plan with helping bring more than $388 million in new investment and 725 high-wage jobs to Buncombe County since the storm. Its Venture Asheville program also took Silver in innovative financing for the Optimist Ventures Accelerator and a venture philanthropy fund launched in 2025 for businesses hit by Helene.
23 new Certified Economic Developers
The International Economic Development Council added 23 Certified Economic Developers after September's two-day, three-part exam, joining a network of more than 1,000 active CEcDs. The new class includes Aimee Johnson of Manatee County Government, Idella Kangas of the Universities of Wisconsin, Joshua D. Jefferson of the Kansas Department of Commerce and Vanessa Ineza of WEDC. Alan R. Durham of Georgia Tech received the designation posthumously.
Hot Jobs
Six searches for economic development talent this week, all paying six figures. The data center build-out tops the list again, with Anthropic hiring community engagement managers for its data center markets at up to $295,000.
$265,000–$295,000 | Community Engagement Manager, Data Centers | Anthropic, Multiple Regions
The AI company is hiring community engagement managers for its data center markets, with separate postings for Indiana and Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana and Utah, New York, and Virginia and West Virginia. Each role carries the same pay range.
$171,198–$208,129 | Dean, Economic and Workforce Development | Chabot-Las Positas Community College District, California
The East Bay community college district is hiring a dean to run its economic and workforce development programs.
$165,750–$175,500 | Executive Director, New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission | NJEDA, New Jersey
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority is recruiting the executive director of the state's film and television commission.
$162,384–$235,447 | Director of External Affairs | Prosper Portland, Oregon
Portland's economic development agency is hiring a director of external affairs, with the widest pay band on this week's list.
$116,255–$151,133 | Economic & Business Development Manager | American Electric Power, Tulsa, Oklahoma
AEP is hiring an economic and business development manager based in Tulsa.
$113,266–$149,150 | Executive Director | Chisago County HRA-EDA, Minnesota
The county's housing and economic development authority north of the Twin Cities is hiring its top executive. Applications are due Oct. 30.
Salaries are advertised ranges or starting pay. Check each posting for current status and terms.
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Movers, Shakers & Hot Jobs is a curated weekly roundup covering the people and organizations shaping corporate investment, site selection and economic development.