40 Under 40 Selection Committee
Meet the Selection Committee
Every two years since 2013, DCI invites nominations from young professionals working in the economic development industry from all over the world to participate in our 40 Under 40 awards. To sort through the hundreds of submissions that DCI receives each nomination period, DCI and Jorgenson Pace Consulting compile a group of past 40 Under 40 winners, entrepreneurs, site selection consultants, and seasoned economic development professionals to review submissions, consider accomplishments and contributions to the industry, and then ultimately hand-select the 40 young professionals they believe are deserving of the award. The selection committee spends hours reading each nomination and ranks the candidates based on their impact on their community, their organization and the industry itself.
2026 Selection Committee
Tedra Cheatham, CEcD
Tedra Cheatham is the Executive Director of LED FastStart®, Louisiana Economic Development’s workforce development program. She leads efforts to provide customized business solutions for businesses, ranging from recruiting to curriculum development and training, ensuring new and expanding businesses have the skilled workforce needed to thrive. Cheatham fosters strong partnerships between businesses, educational institutions, and government to drive economic growth and job creation across Louisiana.
A Louisiana native, Cheatham is a graduate of the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts, with a Bachelor of Arts from LSU and a Master of Public Administration from the University of New Orleans. She is a Certified Economic Developer. Her career began in governmental affairs in the private sector, focusing on federal, regional, state, and local policy education, before transitioning to the Louisiana State Senate. She has also held leadership roles in university partnerships, nonprofits, and economic development in Georgia and Texas.
She has volunteered as a trainer in economic development ethics and as a loaned executive for GNO, Inc. in post-Katrina New Orleans. Additionally, she served on the White House Advisory Board under the Obama administration to address the economic impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Tedra’s Advice to Economic Developers:
I believe a few of the most valuable things for a successful economic development career is to: be a conscientious but authentic relationship builder and connector; be a copious consumer of information, as each knowledge point is another opportunity to connect to someone; and to have the realization that one does not have to be the expert on all things, but they do have to know who those experts in their communities are.
Courtney Dunbar, CEcD, EDFP, AICP
Courtney Dunbar, CEcD, EDFP, AICP, is Director of Site Selection at Burns & McDonnell, where she helps industrial, advanced manufacturing, mission critical, food and consumer products, and aerospace clients identify optimal locations and facilities for growth. With 29 years of experience in site selection, economic development, community planning, and project funding, she also leads industrial site planning and development initiatives that support long-term economic growth. Courtney holds a Master of Community & Regional Planning from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the same institution. She is a member of the Site Selectors Guild, a nationally recognized speaker, and a contributing writer for Area Development. As Past Dean of the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute, she also teaches real estate and infrastructure development for OU-EDI and the Heartland Basic Economic Development Course. Her expertise in site selection, infrastructure planning, economic analysis, and project finance makes her a trusted advisor to communities and companies.
Courtney’s Advice to Economic Developers:
May you always find purpose in your economic development career and never lose sight of why this work matters. Economic development isn’t just about sites, buildings, or incentives, it’s about attracting investment that improve people’s lives. Behind every announcement are families finding opportunity, businesses building futures, and communities growing stronger because of the work you do.
Ashley Gossen, MBA, CEcD
Ashley Gossen is Chief Economic Development Officer for the greater:SATX Regional Economic Partnership, where she oversees the organization’s economic competitiveness, global corporate recruitment, and business retention and growth strategies to advance the 10-county San Antonio region’s long-term economic prosperity. Since joining greater:SATX in 2020, she has helped secure approximately 25,000 new jobs and $12 billion in capital investment.
Ashley brings nearly 15 years of economic development experience, with previous roles at Deloitte, Texas Economic Development Council/Team Texas, Austin Chamber of Commerce, and Greater San Marcos Partnership. She holds a B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin, an M.B.A. from The University of Texas at San Antonio, and is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD). Ashley serves on the Texas Economic Development Council Board of Directors, chairs the organization’s communications committee, and is an Executive Committee member of the Team Texas Advisory Council. She lives in the San Antonio-Austin region with her family.
Ashley’s Advice to Economic Developers:
Never lose sight of why we do this work. Behind every project are people, families, and communities whose futures are shaped by the decisions we make, so lead with integrity, communicate openly, and always play the long game.
Tray Hairston, Esq., CEcD
Tray Hairston, CEcD, Esq., is a partner at Butler Snow LLP, where he focuses on public finance and economic development, serving as bond counsel for taxable and tax-exempt financings nationwide. He has advised cities, counties, companies, lenders, and investment banks on more than $3 billion in transactions. Previously, he served as Counsel and Economic Development Advisor to Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant. A Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), Hairston provides economic development and site selection consulting to communities and businesses across the United States.
He has been recognized by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America®, Mid-South Super Lawyers®, Mississippi College School of Law as Young Lawyer of the Year, the Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40, The Bond Buyer’s “Rising Stars,” and Southern Business & Development’s Under 50 Economic Developers to Watch. Hairston serves on the Board of Directors of the International Economic Development Council and earned degrees from Tougaloo College, Belhaven University, and Mississippi College School of Law.
Tray’s Advice to Economic Developers:
Build relationships before you need them because the mastery of financial structuring means little if you can’t build trust with the communities, elected officials, and capital partners who have to say yes. Get comfortable being the person in the room who understands both financial mechanics of a deal and the human stakes behind it; that combination is rare and valuable. Stay curious past your specialty. The best opportunities usually sit somewhere between your expertise and someone else’s problem.
Maggie Kost
Maggie Kost leads the Business Growth team as a Partner at Greater St. Louis, Inc. In this role, she helps national and international businesses locate and invest in the 15 county St. Louis metro.
Previously, she served in the Cabinet of Missouri Governor Mike Parson as head of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. At the Department, Kost oversaw the rollout of more than half a billion dollars in economic recovery funding and led teams working business attraction and expansion projects that generated over 13,000 new jobs and $4.7 billion in private capital investment in Missouri.
Kost is the first woman to lead business growth for the St. Louis metro. She started her career in communications at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and later led communications for the Missouri Community College Association. She’s a proud graduate of the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University and alumna of Americorps St. Louis.
Maggie’s Advice to Economic Developers:
We do the things that most people think just happen. There’s so much work that goes on behind the scenes without credit or attribution, and that’s okay. Letting others shine in the spotlight is often the best way to accomplish your goals.
Trevor Pawl
Trevor Pawl is CEO of One Louisville, the region’s official economic development organization and chamber of commerce, driving inclusive business attraction, expansion, and innovation. In his first year leading Louisville’s economic development (2025), the region announced more than 2,700 new jobs and over $3 billion in capital investment, which was a record year for the city. Previously, Pawl was appointed as the State of Michigan’s first Chief Mobility Officer, where he led 80+ public-private partnerships that secured more than $480 million for next-generation transportation projects and authored the state’s first mobility strategy. Before that, as Senior Vice President of Business Innovation at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, his teams generated $3.4 billion in procurement opportunities for Michigan suppliers. He also launched a U.S. Department of Commerce-funded manufacturing program at the Detroit Regional Chamber that created over $200 million in bid opportunities. Pawl holds a BA from Grand Valley State University and an MBA from the University of Detroit Mercy.
Trevor’s Advice to Economic Developers:
Go see things. Get out of your office. Tour the factory. Walk the downtown. Visit the startup. Sit with the small business owner. You can’t understand an economy from a spreadsheet.
Ashley Wolfe, MBA, CEcD
Ashley Wolfe, MBA, CEcD, is Director of Economic and Industrial Development for OmniTRAX, where she works at the intersection of customers and communities to advance industrial development, site readiness, and economic growth across the company’s rail-served network. With experience spanning local, regional, and national economic development, Ashley has held leadership roles with OmniTRAX, BNSF Railway, JLL, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and Pittsylvania County, Virginia. A Certified Economic Developer, she brings expertise in infrastructure-led growth, industrial recruitment, rural economic development, and public-private partnerships. Ashley holds an MBA from Colorado State University and is passionate about creating opportunities that strengthen communities and support long-term economic prosperity.
Ashley’s Advice to Economic Developers:
Be open to opportunities that may not fit the career path you originally envisioned. Some of the most valuable experiences in my career came from unexpected roles, and each one provided skills and perspectives that continue to serve me today. Just as importantly, invest in relationships. Economic development is ultimately a relationship business, and the trust you build over time will be one of your greatest professional assets.
Dan Silverman
Mr. Silverman began his career in 2002 as a Junior Consultant with the CAI Global Group, a Montreal based site selection analysis, business location analysis, jurisdictional marketing, and industrial clustering consulting firm.
In 2005, Dan joined ROI Research On Investment, a lead prospecting and consulting firm. As SVP, he consulted numerous foreign investment agencies on best practices in investment attraction and FDI strategies. Dan joined the regional economic development agency Toronto Global in 2017 as Executive Vice President, Investment Attraction.
In January 2020, Dan joined Investissement Québec, as VP, Foreign Direct Investment to lead a team of 50+ professionals based in Quebec and 10 international offices. Dan was an active Director on the International Economic Development Council Board of Directors from 2018-2026. In January 2021, Mr. Silverman was awarded one of the Top 50 North American Economic Developers award by Consultant Connect as well as a Top 40 Under 40 Economic Developer for the second time by Development Counsellors International and Jorgenson Consulting.
Dan’s Advice to Economic Developers:
This is an incredible industry, it’s not about transactions, it’s about relationships. The people you meet, the companies you support, the regions you develop and the work you do to better your communities will stay with you your entire career. Be sure to foster these relationships and pay it forward to the next generation of economic developers