Charleston Regional Development Alliance; CRDA Vice President, Economic Development

Overview

Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA)

Vice President, Economic Development

Opportunity Profile | 2026

Organization Overview

The Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA) is a 501(c)(6) public/private economic development partnership serving the three-county Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville, South Carolina MSA. CRDA operates as the region’s lead economic development organization, uniting business, government, academic, and civic leadership around a shared mission: to build long-term, inclusive, and globally competitive economic prosperity for the Charleston region.

With a professional staff of 12 and an annual operating budget of approximately $4.5 million, CRDA drives results through disciplined strategy, market intelligence, regional collaboration, and investor engagement. The organization positions Charleston as a premier destination for corporate investment, innovation, talent, and entrepreneurship while strengthening the foundational assets that support sustainable growth.

CRDA’s core strategic focus includes:

• Building and scaling high-impact industry clusters
• Positioning the Charleston region as a globally competitive business and talent market
• Supporting corporate site selection and expansion decisions
• Advancing regional competitiveness through coordinated public-private leadership
• Aligning business, academic, and government stakeholders around shared economic priorities

Strategic Context

CRDA is advancing a next-generation economic development strategy designed to position the greater Charleston region as a leading hub for innovation-driven growth. This strategy aligns with the broader One Region Roadmap and emphasizes long-term competitiveness, economic resilience, and talent-centered development.

The strategy is anchored in four core objectives:

• Establishing a shared regional vision for Charleston’s economic future
• Defining clear short-, mid-, and long-term economic development priorities
• Leveraging and integrating the region’s innovation, research, workforce, and infrastructure assets
• Implementing performance metrics that measure economic impact, competitiveness, and regional outcomes

The Vice President of Economic Development will play a central role in translating strategy into execution—driving outcomes, aligning partners, and ensuring sustained economic impact.

Position Overview

CRDA seeks a senior economic development leader to serve as Vice President, Economic Development. This executive will be responsible for shaping, leading, and executing CRDA’s core economic development platform and advancing the organization’s long-term strategic priorities.

Reporting directly to the President and CEO and serving as a member of the executive leadership team, the Vice President will provide both strategic and operational leadership across CRDA’s economic development functions. The role integrates strategy development, business development, global market positioning, talent and innovation ecosystem building, and stakeholder alignment.

This position requires a leader who can operate at the highest strategic levels while also driving disciplined execution—someone equally effective in boardrooms, C-suite environments, project negotiations, and regional collaboration settings.

Strategic Leadership

• Partner with the President & CEO, Board of Directors, and regional leadership to define, refine, and execute CRDA’s economic development strategy
• Translate long-term regional vision into actionable priorities, measurable initiatives, and operational plans
• Ensure alignment between organizational strategy, investor priorities, and regional economic goals

Economic Development Execution

• Global business marketing and positioning with our Marketing & Communications team
• Corporate attraction, expansion, and investment facilitation
• Talent attraction and retention initiatives
• Provide executive oversight of complex business attraction and expansion projects
• Support high-level deal structuring, negotiations, and value proposition development
• Monitor economic, industry, workforce, and market trends to identify growth opportunities and risk factors
• Use data-driven insights to inform strategy,…