Jeff Finkle

President & CEO, International Economic Development Council (IEDC)

As President and CEO of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), Jeff Finkle is a recognized leader in the field of economic development. With the formation of IEDC in 2001 following the merger of the Council for Urban Economic Development (CUED) - where he was president for 15 years - and the American Economic Development Council (AEDC), Jeff set the course for a more effective and influential organization. Today, IEDC is the world's largest economic development membership organization with over 5000 members and is a $6 million annual operation that is renowned for its leadership in professionalizing and diversifying the field of economic development. Jeff previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and has received numerous awards over the years for his commitment to making sustainable economic development a priority in communities of all sizes. Significantly, in 2011, he was lauded by the U.S. Department of Commerce for his 25 years of stewardship over CUED and IEDC. Moreover, as a longtime leader in community service and philanthropy, in 2005 Jeff organized 250 economic development volunteers to work in Gulf Coast communities endeavoring to recover from Hurricane Katrina and today IEDC is deploying volunteers in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Hawaii and Texas after various hurricanes, floods, and volcano incidents. In 1989, he also founded the Bollinger Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to children who have lost a parent who worked in the field of economic development. It has given out over a million dollars in scholarships. He has served on the Arlington Virginia Economic Development Commission, the Alexandria Virginia Economic Development Corporation board, ACT’s advisory body for work ready communities, and as the president of the Bollinger Foundation, among other engagements. Often, Jeff has been the voice on economic development issues. He has traveled extensively to speak on economic development both internationally and domestically and has been quoted in newspapers throughout North America. Jeff has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, Fox Television and the Journal Report on PBS when the Supreme Court deliberated on issues surrounding eminent domain. Jeff was most recently quoted several times in the Wall Street Journal on the Amazon HQ 2 decision. He received a Bachelor of Science degree i