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CRP Contact Info
Ronnie Bryant, CEcD, FM, HLM
President & CEO
rbryant@charlotteusa.com
Kenny McDonald, CEcD
Senior VP, Economic Development Services
kmcdonald@charlotteusa.com
Charlotte Regional Partnership
1001 Morehead Square Dr.
Suite 200
Charlotte, NC 28203
Phone: 704-347-8942
Fax: 704-347-8981
Toll Free : 1-800-554-4373
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Ronnie Bryant, CEcD, FM, HLM
President & CEO rbryant@charlotteusa.com
As President and CEO of the Charlotte Regional Partnership, Ronnie Bryant, a certified economic developer (CEcD) since 1991, leads the economic development organization that promotes the 16-county Charlotte USA region as a premier location for businesses considering expansion or relocation. With more than 30 years of technical, managerial and economic development expertise, Bryant is nationally known for his proven track record of establishing and implementing successful economic development programs, with a strong emphasis on existing industry expansion and retention, regionalism and marketing. The editors of Site Selection magazine have recognized Bryant for excellence in the field of economic development by twice naming organizations he led in Pittsburgh and St. Louis to its list of Top 10 economic development groups in the nation, and in 2007, the Charlotte Regional Partnership received an Honorary Mention. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ranked him No. 25 on its list of top 50 business leaders, and Charlotte – The City Magazine named Bryant No. 30 in its list of Charlotte’s Fifty Most Powerful.
Prior to joining CRP, Bryant was president and chief operating officer of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance where he marketed the region and collaborated with regional economic development agencies to develop and implement job creation strategies. Before working in Pittsburgh, Bryant was the senior vice president of the Economic Development Division for the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association where he has been credited with the development of job creation strategies that resulted in more than 117,000 jobs within a five-year period. These professional skills grew from leading the development team at the Shreveport, La., Chamber of Commerce, working as a development consultant, and holding managerial and technical positions at AT&T’s Western Electric facility.
Bryant is a graduate of Louisiana State University in Shreveport and the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma (OU/EDI) in Norman. While attending OU/EDI, he received the American Economic Development Council’s Robert B. Cassell Leadership Award for excellence in leadership and scholarship. He currently serves as the assistant dean of OU/EDI, a member of the Executive Board and a member of the OU/EDI faculty. Bryant has lectured internationally and nationally on issues related to economic development marketing, professional development and organizational management.
Bryant is well known in economic development circles. He is immediate past-chairman of the board for the International Economic Development Council, which has also designated him as a Fellow Member and an Honorary Life Member for furthering the profession of economic development as a teacher and inspiration to others in many communities. Additionally, he is involved with CoreNet Global and is a member of the Urban Land Institute. His regional professional affiliations include both the North and South Carolina Economic Development Associations. Bryant’s civic participation includes board memberships with the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, Charlotte Research Institute, the United Way of Central Carolinas, The Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Broadcasting Authority, The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s (Charlotte Branch) Small Business and Agricultural Advisory Council, the Charlotte City Club and The North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.
He and his wife, Sandra, have three children – Rarland, Remeka and Ronda.
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Economic Development Services
Kenny McDonald Senior Vice President, Economic Development Services kmcdonald@charlotteusa.com
Kenny McDonald serves as Senior Vice President of Economic Development Services for the CRP. Kenny's responsibilities include overseeing and executing the CRP's business development initiatives. He joined the CRP in July 2003, after working in various economic development and site location consulting roles. Most notably, Kenny worked for the Global Location Strategies unit of Fluor Corporation for over 5 years assisting dozens of companies define their facility location requirements and assisting communities and regions shape their economic development policy.
Mr. McDonald holds a M.P.A from Georgia Southern University, an undergraduate from the Dickinson State University (ND), and is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma. He earned his CEcD in September of 2003.
David Swenson Vice President, Economic Development Services dswenson@charlotteusa.com
David Swenson serves as Vice President of Economic Development Services for the CRP. David is responsible for executing the CRP's business development initiatives. He joined the CRP team in December 2006 after working the past 11 years in local and regional economic development and site location consulting.
Mr. Swenson holds a M.S. degree in Economic Development from the University of Southern Mississippi, a B.S. degree in Economic Geography from the University of North Dakota, and is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma. He earned his CEcD in August of 2006.
Vanessa Goeschl Vice President, Research vgoeschl@charlotteusa.com
As Vice President of Research, Vanessa is responsible for managing economic and demographic data for 16 counties within the Charlotte region, conducting custom research upon request and assisting with related economic development projects as needed. She has previous experience as an economic development specialist with the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission in Waveland, MS, and has worked for the USDA Rural Development State Office in Jackson, MS as a community development specialist.
Ms. Goeschl joined the Partnership as Director of Research in November 2003. She holds a B.A. in International Relations from Boston University and a M.S. in Economic Development from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Juawana Colbert Project Manager jcolbert@charlotteusa.com
Juawana Colbert serves as Project Manager of Economic Development Services for the CRP. She is responsible for managing the CRP’s business development initiatives. Juawana has recently joined the CRP, after working for The Indy Partnership in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she served as the Manager of Business Development Services for 2 ½ years. She was responsible for gathering requested information and compiling detailed response packets for businesses considering relocation to, or expansion in, the Indianapolis region.
Ms. Colbert received a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Northwood University in Indianapolis and in 2004 completed the Indiana Basic Economic Development Course at Ball State University. This fall, she is scheduled to complete her third year of EDI (Economic Development Institute)
Carlton Gideon Research Assistant cgideon@charlotteusa.com
Charlotte Regional Film Commission
Beth Petty Director, Charlotte Regional Film Commission bpetty@charlotteusa.com
Beth Petty joined the Film Division of the Charlotte Regional Partnership in 1998. As director, she works as a liaison between the film production company and our community. Ms. Petty also researches, photographs, and categorizes location sites within the sixteen counties. Ms. Petty is a two-time graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts. She graduated from the Dance Dept. and returned to graduate from the Film School in 1997. While attending film school as a double major in writing and directing, she taught dance, worked as a choreographer and served as the Dance Company Coordinator for Wake Forest University. She has written and directed several short films which have been seen locally as well as internationally. She is also on the Board of Advisors for the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.
Kathleen Byrne Assistant, Charlotte Regional Film Commission kbyrne@charlotteusa.com
Community Relations
Leslie Kelson Director of Community Relations lkelson@charlotteusa.com
As Director of Community Relations, Leslie Kelson serves as the primary contact for all public partners and private investors. Her responsibilities also include cultivating and building relationships and fund development. Before coming to the CRP, Leslie served as the Director of Relocation Services for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.
Mrs. Kelson holds an Associates degree in Fashion Merchandise and Marketing from the Art Institute of Charlotte. She is also a graduate of the Charlotte Chamber Leadership School.
Marketing & Communications
Gina Howard Director of Communications and Public Relations ghoward@charlotteusa.com
As Director of Communications and Public Relations, Gina Howard develops and implements communications strategies to increase awareness of the Charlotte region. She has more than 20 years experience promoting international corporations and universities in both Carolinas, as well as extensive writing and editing credits.
Howard earned her B.A. from Duke University and currently is pursuing her M.A. in liberal studies from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. A Leadership Charlotte graduate, Howard is actively involved in the community. She joined the Partnership in 2007.
Laura Foor Marketing and Communications Coordinator lfoor@charlotteusa.com
Laura Foor serves as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the CRP. Mrs. Foor is responsible for planning and executing marketing events that pomote the region and the CRP. Mrs. Foor joined the CRP in March 2007, after working five years as the Existing Business Manager for Lincoln Economic Development Association. At LEDA she was responsible for the retention and expansion of existing industry in Lincoln County.
Mrs. Foor holds a M.P.A. from Western Carolina University as well as a Bachelor of Science from WCU. She has also completed the Basic Economic Development Course at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Budget & Finance / Administrative Services
Melissa Hendrick Director of Finance and Operations mhendrick@charlotteusa.com
Melissa joined the Partnership in May 2007 as the Director of Finance and Operations where she is responsible for managing all of the accounting, budgeting, financial and operational aspects of the CRP. Melissa has over 20 years of experience in her field and was the Associate Director of Financial Services in the Structured Settlements business unit at MassMutual Financial Group where she worked for seven years. Melissa also served as Fiscal Officer for Mercer County Economic Development Corporation.
Ms. Hendrick was an honor graduate and holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration with double majors in both Accounting and Management from Concord University in Athens, West Virginia.
Judy Ancelli Finance and Administrative Assistant jancelli@charlotteusa.com
Kathy Lazarides Administrative Assistant klazarides@charlotteusa.com
Information Technology
Philip Ciccarello Director of Information Technology pciccarello@charlotteusa.com
Philip Ciccarello is responsible for keeping the Partnership on the cutting edge of technology while maintaining the www.charlotteusa.com website, network, and servers. Mr. Ciccarello also provides technical support to the developers in the 16 counties of our region.
Before joining the Partnership in 2007, Mr. Ciccarello was an IT Consultant for the Virginia Department of Transportation. While at VDOT he worked closely with the Help Desk and Server Administrators to ensure the stipulations of the Seat Management Contract were satisfied.
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