Radius Indiana kicked off its new Women In Economic Development Leadership Initiative last week at the West Baden Hotel. This is the first-ever course of its kind for the region, and the state, and is designed to promote professional development for women.
The course will focus on a broad range of topics, including business attraction, retention and expansion, entrepreneurship, quality of life initiatives, networking, and international business etiquette. The initiative will span 2018 and encourage an open dialogue among participants to share successes, challenges and best practices.
This program adds to the portfolio of educational economic development initiatives that Radius currently leads, like the Economic Development for Community Leadership Program that will be held for the second time this year in March.
Chelsey Manns, president of Manns Consulting, LLC was selected to facilitate the course. Manns is a veteran in economic development and helps communities develop and execute project plans for business growth, quality of life initiatives and community development.
Manns commended the Radius Indiana team for spearheading the new program. She says she is excited for the opportunity to be involved and look forward to sharing her experiences and helping to strengthen the foundation of economic development professionals in the area.
Manns and Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle both hope that the initiative will leave participants with a better sense of the industry, and see this as a chance to serve as a networking opportunity for the region.
Rachel Steckler, director of Communication & Community Development for the City of Huntingburg, who was attending the course, added that the the Women in Economic Development Initiative is a great opportunity for women in this industry to discuss important issues in the region, and share best practices to not only sustain communities, but to promote and enhance them, as well.
Radius Indiana is a regional economic development partnership representing eight counties in Southern Indiana including Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington.
Formed in 2009, Radius Indiana also serves as a point of contact in Indiana for Naval Support Activity Crane and leads regional collaboration by leveraging the diverse assets of Southwest Central Indiana to drive attraction, retention and expansion of business, thereby increasing employment and investment opportunities and quality of life within the region.
