Jessica Gonzales, economic development director of the City of Corona, is now the chair of the Board of Directors for the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED). Jessica has been a member of the Association for more than 15 years and has been an active board member for the past six years. She was elected to this leadership position by her peers due to her economic development expertise, her commitment to helping others succeed and her history of giving back to the profession. Her economic development achievements include implementing innovative economic development strategies for Southern California cities and sharing best practices with the CALED membership at large. Jessica embraces collaboration with agencies across the state, which she attributes to the success of the initiatives she has led.
As the largest economic development association in the state, CALED represents more than 800 economic development professionals and stakeholders working hard to help their economies thrive and create opportunities for residents. “Since its creation in 1980, CALED has led the way in teaching economic developers, local elected officials and state representatives the value of economic development and how it is used to grow businesses, generate revenue to expand the local economy and pay for the services that residents require,” said Gurbax Sahota, CALED President and CEO. “We are excited to have Jessica lead us as we continue these efforts. She is a respected professional who truly cares about uplifting people and making a difference.”
In her role as Chair, Jessica is focused on helping everyone Leap Forward. “To Leap Forward is a call to be committed, brave and unrelenting. Economic Developers choose to act on behalf of our communities with innovative and impactful measures because empowering our workforce and strengthening our businesses is at the heart of who we are,” said Jessica. “We are committed to building strong and resilient economies because that is the only way to uplift our communities. We brave economic challenges by working alongside our community members to identify solutions that are informed and embraced by the community we serve. We are fueled by our unrelenting determination to create vibrant communities where entrepreneurial dreams are achieved, where the next generation wants to work and where industry can thrive.”
Join us in congratulating Jessica Gonzales as she begins her two-year tenure as Chair of the state’s premiere economic development association.
About CALED
The California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED) is California’s premier economic development association and one of the largest economic development associations in the nation. CALED’s 800+ members working hard to help businesses thrive so they can create economic opportunity for all and grow state and local economies. Since its creation in 1980, CALED has led the way in teaching economic developers, local elected officials and state representatives the value of economic development and how it is used to grow businesses, generate revenue to expand the local economy and pay for the services that residents require. For more information, visit caled.org.