Welcome to the Washington Economic Development Association

Our Mission

Our Leadership

Our Committees

WEDA History

The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee manages the organization and makes decisions between the meetings of the Board of Directors. The Executive Committee takes the mission and goals of the Board and works to make it a reality in partnership with the Executive Director.

	ELLIE CHAMBERS-GRADY, CHAIR Economic Development Director, City of Lakewood Ellie Chambers-Grady has been with the City since April 2008. As Economic Development Manager, Ellie’s role within the City’s Community and Economic Development Department is in part to ensure a better integration of economic development activity with other development functions. She works on redevelopments projects in Lakewood, the Office of Economic Adjustment Grant oversight, the retention and expansion of existing businesses, new business recruitment projects for locations within the City, and focused efforts in geographically targeted areas in the City such as Pacific Highway, Towne Center, Tillicum and Woodbrook Business Park. Prior to coming to Lakewood, Ellie worked for the City of Puyallup, Avista Corporation (formerly Washington Water Power Company, in their three state service area), and the Spokane Economic Development Council. Ellie has received several awards for her work in economic development, a field she has enjoyed for over 20 years. Ellie graduated from Eastern Washington University and attended Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in Chicago for some post graduate studies. She is a Certified Economic and Community Developer by the International Economic Development Council, is current President of the Washington Economic Development Association (WEDA) and serves on the Tacoma Regional CVB Board of Directors.
	DAVID KLEITSCH, CHAIR-ELECT, INTERIM LEGISLATIVE CHAIR Economic Development Director, City of Lynnwood
	JOE M. TORTORELLI, PAST-CHAIRMAN President, Economic Development Northwest Joe Tortorelli has built a reputation in the Pacific Northwest with community leaders and economic development professionals as an experienced, results oriented practitioner of the economic development process. After working for Avista Corp., an electric and natural gas utility in eastern Washington and northern Idaho for 18 years in economic development, he formed a consulting firm specializing in business development, Economic Development Northwest. The past four years he has concentrated on assisting small communities and counties in finding business opportunities and turning them into economic stimulus for their areas. From diversified manufacturing to motel development he has extensive experience in assisting companies selecting sites and working through issues to create new jobs in communities.
	ROGERS WEED, VICE-CHAIR Director, Washington State Department of Commerce Rogers Weed was appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire as Director of the Department of Commerce in March 2009. In appointing him to this agency cabinet position, Gov. Gregoire said Rogers is a proven leader and innovator. As director, Rogers will fulfill the governor’s clear mission to retain the jobs and companies that we have in our state today and attract new ones. His focus will be on forging effective partnerships with the business community, with other agencies in the public sector and with the legislature. Rogers attended Duke University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Computer Science. After college he worked for the management consulting firm, Bain and Company in Boston, focusing on strategy and planning for companies in the pharmaceutical, manufacturing and high tech industries. Rogers received his MBA in Marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He came to Seattle in 1990 to work at Microsoft and managed teams in the Windows, Mobile Devices, On-line Content and Consumer Software Divisions over his 15 years with the company. He was promoted to Vice President in 2001. Rogers has been a board member and volunteer for regional organizations focused on climate change and social services. He lives in Seattle with his wife and three sons.
	PHIL ENG, TREASURER President, Evergreen Business Capital Phil has been in banking and finance for almost 40 years. His career started in eastern Washington in 1971 with Peoples National Bank. That banking experience provided Phil with a broad background in consumer finance and commercial lending as well as bank operations. He also became proficient in agricultural lending at that time. Phil later moved to the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area and continued his development with stints in credit card processing, mortgage lending and dealer banking. In between those specialized assignments he always returned to commercial lending and/or retail management. His last 5 years in commercial banking was with U.S. Bank as a District Manager in the Tacoma market. In 1999, Phil moved on to the Certified Development Company (SBA 504 Loan Program) industry. He is currently the President of Evergreen Business Capital in Seattle. Evergreen is one of the top CDC’s in the nation – with a portfolio of 900+ loans and outstanding balances exceeding $450 million. Phil currently serves on NADCO (National Association of Development Companies) Board and the NAGGL (National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders) Region 10 Liaison Committee. Phil has supported Evergreen’s economic development mission through participation in the Washington Economic Development Association where he currently serves on the Board. Phil is a graduate of the University of Washington (Finance & Accounting) and the Pacific Coast Banking School. In 1998 Phil retired from the United States Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel with experience in transportation and finance. Phil and his wife Judy reside in Seattle, Washington.
	DIAHANN HOWARD, SECRETARY Diahann Howard is the Director of Economic Development and Governmental Affairs for the Port of Benton . In addition to her port responsibilities, she serves as the Executive Director for the Tri Cities Research District, a Washington State Innovation Partnership Zone. Prior to the Port, she was the City of Richland ’s Economic Development Manager where she was responsible for marketing and development of the cities various land holdings ranging from mixed use, industrial, retail, and residential community projects. She serves on the Washington Economic Development Association board as its secretary, Leadership Tri Cities Board as a program coordinator, Tri Cities Legislative Council, Washington Public Port Association as a committee member and the Applied Process Engineering Laboratory (APEL) advisory board, as well as various others. She is also a member of the Richland Rotary Club. Diahann has a B.A in International Affairs from Eastern Washington University.