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Daly named to lead regional economic development

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Jennifer Daly, CEO of the Morton Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council for the past six years, will become chief executive office of the Economic Development Council of Central Illinois.

She will begin her new duties Nov. 3, heading up an office that oversees economic development for a five-county central Illinois region, according to an announcement Wednesday by the EDC of Central Illinois and Focus Forward Central Illinois.

The release did not say how many others were considered for the position.

“I am honored to have been selected to serve in this regional role,” said Daly in the news release.  “Over the past few years I have had the privilege to work hand-in-hand with a wide variety of business professionals, community leaders, and economic development colleagues on the development of a strategy for the betterment of our five county region.  It will be exciting to have a leadership role in the implementation of this strategy.”

Daly is a graduate of the University of Iowa and came to Morton after seven years as executive director of the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance in Iowa.

During her tenure in Morton, the village has become more active in business development, including internationally, and has attracted 38 new businesses and helped 24 other businesses to expand. About 800 jobs have been created in Morton in that time and the village property tax revenues have grown by over $700,000 a year.

In addition to over thirteen years of economic and community development experience, Daly has worked in non-profit management, marketing, and fundraising.

Daly has completed the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute and the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Organization Management.  She is a board member for the Mid-America Economic Development Council and the local chapter of the American Cancer Society.

Daly will head an EDC staff that includes long time employee Sally Hanley. Daly and Hanley have been actively involved the past two years on FFCI’s Technical Work Group, a regional group of local economic development professionals.

“We are pleased and excited to have Jennifer come on board to lead the economic development efforts in the region” said EDC Board Chairman Bill Blessman in the news release. “She has a proven record of development accomplishments, and she has demonstrated the ability to build partnerships with both the private and public sectors to foster economic growth.”

“FFCI is thrilled Jennifer Daly will be at the helm of the EDC,” said Diana Hall, chairman of FFCI. “Jennifer demonstrated her passion for working on FFCI’s initiatives through her work on our Technical Working Group. We are confident she will use her new position as a platform for harnessing the input from the thousands of volunteers who support FFCI’s mission.” 

 

About the Author
Paul Gordon is the editor of The Peorian after spending 29 years of indentured servitude at the Peoria Journal Star. He’s an award-winning writer, raconteur and song-and-dance man. He also went to a high school whose team name is the Alices (that’s Vincennes Lincoln High School in Indiana; you can look it up).