SWEETWATER COUNTY – Kayla McDonald, Business Development Manager for the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition successfully completed and graduated from the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute on November 9, 2017.
OU EDI is an intensive week-long, three-tier program which provides a broad spectrum of advanced education for the economic development professional. Peter Abramo, Dean, said, “OU EDI is the premier organization dedicated to training economic development professionals. These graduates represent some of the finest economic development practitioners in the U.S. working to support their local communities. My congratulations to them.”
OU EDI classes focus on three major core areas including, Business Retention and Expansion, Real Estate, and Finance, as well as areas of concentration in Marketing, Strategic Planning, Entrepreneurship, and Managing Economic Development Organizations. Students complete 117 hours of instruction with curriculum selected from more than fifty seminars, workshops, and discussion groups.
Beginning in 1962, OU EDI is celebrating its 55th year of service to the economic development community. Fully accredited by the International Economic Development Council, the program has trained over 4,500 graduates and remains the world’s leading economic development teacher.
The next step for Kayla will be the CEcD (Certified Economic Developer) Exam. This will be a 1-year preparation time for this exam, and Kayla plans to sit for this exam in January of 2019. Currently, the state of Wyoming has 3 Certified Economic Developers in various positions around the State.