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U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo today delivered virtually the keynote address to the Southwest Region Economic Development Association (SWREDA) 2021 annual conference. Held from September 1-3, 2021 in Rogers, Arkansas, the theme of the 2021 annual conference is Collaboration: The Key to Resilience.

America’s Competitiveness Exchange (ACE) Colorado, held August 1-6, 2021, brought together more than 40 global leaders representing 11 countries and multiple international organizations to share economic development best practices and explore opportunities for partnerships.

EDA is pleased to welcome our new Assistant Secretary Alejandra Y. Castillo!

On August 13, Ms. Castillo was sworn in as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development by Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. The action follows the unanimous U.S. Senate vote on August 11 to confirm Castillo as the new administrator of EDA.

Research that identifies effective strategies and best practices can play a critical role informing local approaches to economic development. In many cases, however, important learning fails to flow from theory to praxis; the networks needed to move information from academic economist to economic developer are sometimes limited, inefficient, or non-existent.

Breaking regional cycles of poverty is a challenge for both rural and urban communities throughout the United States. The structural forces that have kept persistently poor places in poverty are complex, interrelated, and together poorly understood. There is an urgent need to identify and assess the root causes of economic marginalization in these communities to create better policies to help overcome the cycles of persistent poverty.

Regional development organizations, such as EDA-designated Economic Development Districts (EDDs), have scored significant achievements in facilitating the recovery of their area economies in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. There remains, however, a disconnect between how regional and state economic developers align their strategies for economic growth to maximize impact.

Each year, a significant amount of EDA funding is allocated to support locally-driven infrastructure projects under EDA’s Public Works (PDF) and Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) (PDF) programs.

Fishing on Alaska’s Chichagof Island isn’t just for humans: more than 1,600 bears live on this sprawling and isolated landmass in the Alaskan Panhandle roughly the size of Delaware – one of the few places in the U.S. where bears outnumber people!