Katie Hurst, a longtime Arizona professional and catalyst for entrepreneurship and coworking in the state, was selected to lead the Arizona Association for Economic Development as its next executive director.
In her new role, Hurst will oversee AAED's day-to-day operations and manage staff development. She will also help implement the organization's three-year strategic plan and support its board of directors, committees and events.
Hurst was hired on after spending more than a decade working with multiple software-as-a-service companies and helping them scale their operations and marketing teams.
She also helped expand Arizona's coworking and entrepreneurial programs — she was the executive director at Gangplank, a nonprofit workspace previously based in Chandler, and was the operations director at Galvanize Phoenix, a collaborative workspace and coding school in Phoenix's warehouse district.
“Working behind the scenes with both startup and enterprise organizations has given me a deep respect for the ecosystem that supports these businesses, their employees, and the communities in which they exist,” Hurst said in a statement. “I’ve had the tremendous pleasure to collaborate with many economic development professionals over the years and have seen firsthand the impact they’ve had in developing Arizona as a premier destination for industry and individuals alike.”
Skip Becker, AAED's president, said in a statement that Hurst brings the "level of business acumen, energy and leadership that myself, the executive committee and the board of directors were looking for to move AAED into a more proactive strategic approach."
Hurst replaces Carrie Kelly, who served as director of AAED for more than three years and was recently hired as managing director for the Site Selectors Guild. AAED will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024.
This summer, AAED elected several new board members including Jaye O'Donnell, assistant economic development director in Mesa; Jack Fitchett, business attraction manager at the city of Flagstaff; and Maggie Tidaback, economic development manager at the town of Chino Valley.
