Cleveland, Ohio – Cuyahoga County Chief Economic Development & Business Officer, Ted Carter, has been confirmed by Cuyahoga County Council. Carter was most recently the Executive Director of the Office of Economic Development for the City of Jacksonville Florida. As Executive Director of the Office of Economic Development, Carter was responsible for economic development and job creation county-wide. In the course of his tenure in Jacksonville, Carter, working with public\private sector partners, facilitated nearly $700M in projected capital investment and a projected 2500+ new jobs.

“One of my core strategic initiatives as County Executive is job growth and opportunity which means we need to create, grow, and attract more businesses,” said Armond Budish, Cuyahoga County Executive. “With the addition of Ted Carter to our leadership team, I am proud to say that we have gained a tremendous resource for our County and I am looking forward to working with him on the very important matter of adding jobs in our county.”

Carter is responsible for maximizing economic development opportunities for citizens and businesses in Cuyahoga County utilizing the Economic Development Plan to achieve goals and measure ongoing progress, in collaboration with the Economic Development Commission. In addition, Carter manages and directs the Economic Development Department to improve the County’s global competitiveness through partnerships and strategic investments that foster economic growth and create vibrant, healthy and welcoming places for businesses and residents to prosper.

“I am thrilled to be appointed by CE Budish for this unique and compelling national opportunity to collaborate with our public, private and non-profit partners to establish and brand the Cuyahoga\Cleveland region as one of the premier economic hubs in the country,” said Ted Carter, Chief Economic Development & Business Officer. “I look forward to bringing my diverse body of work in real estate and economic development to help define and create Cuyahoga County’s economic development vision and drive economic growth.”

Prior to being the Executive Director of the Office of Economic Development for the City of Jacksonville Florida, Carter was an executive managing director for CBRE Group, Inc. in Washington, D.C.

Carter is catalytic leader, committed to public/private partnerships that are the key to the growth of America’s cities and communities. Carter’s background reflects strong multidisciplinary experience in management, sales, marketing and public policy with an emphasis on delivering results strategically and operationally, through leadership, collaboration, and teamwork. Carter has contributed to $1.5 B+ of real estate, economic and community development projects during his career.

Carter received his MPA from The American University and BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. He has also completed courses in real estate and infrastructure at Harvard University. Carter has served on the boards of two global economic empowerment organizations, and currently serves as Chairman for Take Stock in Children, based in Florida. He formerly chaired Jubilee housing in Washington, DC. He is also a member of Business Executives for National Security.