Site Selectors Guild Awards Five Economic Developers with New Scholarship
February 3, 2020 – The Site Selectors Guild (the Guild), the professional association of the world’s leading corporate location advisors, announced the five winners of its new Robert M. Ady Professional Scholarships program to support economic developers in need. Winners include the following economic developers:
- Justin Balderas, Director of Business Recruitment for Littlefield Economic Development Corporation, Texas
- Kristin Dawson, Senior Director of Business Development for Baltimore Development Corporation
- Stephanie Neppl, Executive Director for Osceola County Economic Development Commission, Iowa
- John Hendrix, Director of Economic Development for Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
- Kazys Pupinis, Head of Business for Klaipeda, Lithuania
The scholarship provides complimentary registration to the Guild’s Annual Conference, March 9-11, in Atlanta, GA. A scholarship review committee selected recipients based on financial need, accomplishments in economic development and a demonstrated desire to engage with site selection professionals. Candidates from communities typically underrepresented in economic development received priority.
“We are thrilled to welcome these five deserving economic developers representing communities from across the country and around the world to our Annual Conference,” said Rick Weddle, president and CEO of the Site Selectors Guild. “We look forward to the diverse perspectives they will bring, and the opportunity for them to build new relationships with Guild members.”
The scholarship program is named after Robert M. Ady, founder of the Site Selectors Guild and long-term champion of both economic development and site selection. Ady began his career at Fantus Consulting, a progenitor of the site selection profession. As he rose through the ranks and eventually started his own consulting firms, Ady was credited for turning site selection into a viable and influential profession. Ady passed in 2012. The Guild created the scholarship program to honor Ady’s vision for a diverse and inclusive organization.
To learn more about the Robert M. Ady Professional Scholarships program, visit https://siteselectorsguild.com/events/annual-conference/scholarship/.