Cleveland Reporter

Cleveland — This morning Mayor Justin M. Bibb named Terri Hamilton Brown as the city’s interim director of economic development. Brown was sworn in and began work today following the departure of Tessa Jackson on June 15. The city expects to open the application process for the permanent position later this week.  

In this role, Brown will be responsible for continuing the implementation of ARPA-funded initiatives including the Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund, revitalizing the southeast side, and minority contractor business assistance. She will also be focused on supporting the city’s efforts to revamp economic development incentives, helping small businesses grow, increasing traded sector jobs and equitable neighborhood development.  

“We are pleased to have Terri in this important role and look forward to working with her to advance our economic development goals,” said Mayor Bibb. “Terri is an inspirational leader and a seasoned veteran who I believe will take this team to the next level.”

A Cleveland native, Brown holds a BA in economics from University of Chicago and a master's degree in city planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She served as director of community development for Mayor Mike White, where she helped build more than 2,500 homes in Cleveland and played a major part in the development of the Church Square shops-and-housing complex near the Cleveland Clinic and Mill Creek on the city’s southeast side.  

She went on to serve as executive director of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and is credited with transforming the 1,000-plus-employee organization, dramatically improving its national ratings and achieving near-perfect audits.  

In 2003, Brown became president of University Circle, Inc., where she worked to advance the Opportunity Corridor, expand community and educational use of Wade Oval, and promote University Circle’s many cultural organizations. She went on to become a vice president for diversity at National City Bank (now PNC), ran for Cuyahoga County Executive in 2010, and was named Midwest regional director for The Community Builders, Inc., a leading nonprofit developer of mixed-income housing, in 2011.   

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