In This Issue
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.
An experienced public administrator who previously served as National Director of the Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency and held senior policy positions at the White House and the International Trade Administration, Castillo is also a first-generation American of Dominican descent. As head of EDA, she will be responsible for fulfilling the agency’s mission of leading the federal economic development agenda, including overseeing the implementation of $3 billion in economic development funding appropriated as part of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
“I am pleased to welcome Alejandra back to the Department to help build our economy back stronger and more equitably,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Her experience is an excellent addition to the world-class team we’ve assembled. She brings an important perspective spanning the public and private sectors and has the drive and determination to help America’s communities continue their recovery from the pandemic.”
In a message issued shortly after the oath of office was administered, Assistant Secretary Castillo said, “Many of you are longtime collaborators with EDA, while some of you were first introduced to EDA programs during the early days of the pandemic.
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Assistant Secretary Alejandra Castillo hit the ground running after being sworn in on August 13, visiting West Virginia and Colorado during her first week in office.
On August 17, Assistant Secretary Castillo joined U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito in Huntington, West Virginia, where they first visited Generation West Virginia, a statewide organization dedicated to attracting, retaining, and advancing young people in the state.
They participated in a roundtable discussion on the energy transition and its economic impact on the state and heard from participants in Generation West Virginia’s NewForce online learning program about how NewForce is helping diversify the economy by training and placing participants into high-tech software development positions. NewForce is a tuition-free, remote, team-based intensive tech training program that equips graduates with in-demand software development skills and direct access to in-demand jobs.
The group then moved to Marshall University’s Robert C. Byrd Institute, where they announced $2.65 million in EDA grants focused on supporting West Virginia business development and workforce training efforts.
These grants included a $1.3 million grant to Advantage Valley, Inc. to provide technical assistance to manufacturing, engineering, and other businesses in a nine-county region; a $762,350 grant to expand Generation West Virginia’s NewForce program; and a $592,000 investment in Future of Nursing West Virginia to expand the West Virginia Nursing Entrepreneur Program to give nurses the skills they need to launch health-related businesses.
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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.
The delegation explored more than 30 sites in the City and County of Denver, El Paso County, and Jefferson County, and featured sectors such as entrepreneurship, tourism, sports economy, bioscience, healthcare, cybersecurity, aviation, and defense. The partnerships developed during ACE will increase the prospect of advancing commerce and trade between participating economies and accelerate business opportunities for all stakeholders.
Here is a recap video of the six-day exchange.
ACE is the premier economic development, innovation, and entrepreneurial network of the Americas and is one of the leading high-level events of the Organization of American States (OAS). The ACE program is one of the core initiatives of the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC). The exchange is organized by OAS, in partnership with the Economic Development Administration (EDA), the International Trade Administration (ITA), and the U.S. Department of State.
Highlights of the exchange included stops at the Denver International Airport, National Western Center, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, UCCS Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center, Lockheed Martin, Colorado School of Mines, The Broadmoor, Pilatus Aircraft Ltd, and Terumo BCT.
The delegation also visited three EDA grantees: the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, National Cybersecurity Center (NCC), and Exponential Impact.
Anschutz Medical Campus has received 11 EDA grants—totaling $30 million—over an 8-year period to help transform the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center into a world-class square mile of life sciences. EDA was the first federal agency to invest in Fitzsimons, and the support was critical to its redevelopment.
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