| Dear Frank,
I am very excited to be serving as the Interim President and CEO of the Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona (ECoNA) and wanted to take this opportunity to share with you some of the experience I bring to this position and my immediate goals for this great organization.
I came to Flagstaff in 2004 from Carmel, California, where my background was primarily in the hospitality sector with an emphasis on luxury resort sales.
For most of my time in Flagstaff, I worked for the City, initially in the Convention and Visitors Bureau. As a meeting and events specialist, I booked more than $2 million in conference business for the City in one summer alone.
It was apparent, however, that one of the keys to Flagstaff’s economic vitality was to diversify and expand beyond the tourism sector. So when the opportunity arose to become the City’s Business Attraction Manager, I eagerly shifted gears to economic development.
My role in the City’s Economic Vitality division meant I worked closely with ECoNA on a variety of issues, including efforts to bring new manufacturing companies to the region and the creation of a landmark study on workforce housing in the city.
I am a member of the International Economic Development Council and the Arizona Association of Economic Development. I was honored to be recently named by AZ Big Media as one of the “People to Know” in commercial real estate for their 2020 edition of PTK Magazine.
As I take the reins here at ECoNA, my immediate goal is to help our region rebrand itself to better reflect who we are and where we want to go in this new decade. I will be looking at restructuring ECoNA’s economic development committees to ensure we have the right teams in place to create a climate where businesses can compete and thrive. Lastly, as our region grows, it’s time to look at increasing our collaborative partnerships throughout northern Arizona.
I look forward to working closely with all of you as we pursue opportunities that will benefit our entire region, the business community, and the lives of all our residents.
Sincerely,
Gail Jackson
Interim President & CEO
Economic Collaborative
of Northern Arizona
P.S. I’d love to meet with you to discuss your thoughts about Economic Development in the coming year so that together we can make an impact. If you’d like to schedule a coffee chat, simply reply to this email or email me directly HERE. |
