Frank McCrady, the President and CEO of the East Montgomery County Improvement District (EMCID), will lend a strong voice for economic leadership to Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas as the newly elected Western Region Director of the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC), the oldest and largest regional economic development association in North America. The SEDC is comprised of 17 states in the southern United States and the District of Columbia. The directors representing each of the aforementioned states elected McCrady, who is the Texas director, at the organization’s Fall Board Planning Retreat held at the Magnolia Hotel in Dallas November 1 – 3 in Dallas, TX.
“It’s truly an honor to be elected by my peers in the western region of the SEDC to serve in this capacity,” said McCrady. “The position provides additional opportunities for me to make an impact on the economic development profession in the areas of training, leadership and Young Professionals development.”
In addition to the regional directorship, McCrady will serve as a board member of SEDC’s executive committee. This is the second time McCrady has been elected as Western Region Director. He served a one-year term in 2008.
With nearly 30 years of experience in economic development and banking, McCrady has spent 13 of those years as EMCID’s chief strategical planner, elevating East Montgomery County to a community ready for growth. Under his leadership, development has soared and sales tax revenue for the 158-square mile improvement district has increased by more than 200 percent, from $2.5 million in 2002 to $7.7 million in 2015. Current retail and entertainment projects underway stand to further financial success for the District and the community in the form of job creation, additional business recruiting tools, expanded services, community grants and scholarships for local youth.
Prior to taking over the leadership position at EMCID, McCrady served as the Deputy Director of Community and Economic Development for Salt Lake City, the Executive Director of the Tulsa Economic Development Corporation and as Operations Manager of Riggs National Bank in Washington, D.C. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserve and retired as a lieutenant colonel after 28 years.
McCrady graduated from the University of Arkansas with a BS in Finance and Banking. He received his MBA from Webster University in St. Louis, MO. McCrady also attended the United States Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, KS and took the Advanced Operations and Warfighter course, completed studies at the United States Army War College in Pennsylvania, and he took on additional coursework at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.
About the SEDC:
The Southern Economic Development Council is a 1,000 member professional association composed of a broad cross-section of active and influential economic developers from business and industry, utilities, transportation, financial and education institutions, chambers of commerce, and local, regional and state development agencies. Members in the 17-state area share a common interest: the promotion and enhancement of the economic development profession. For more information on the SEDC, visit www.sedc.org.