Tom Flynn is the director of the Department of Economic Development for Loudoun County, Virginia. He began his career in Loudoun in November 2010. As director, Flynn leads a staff of 16 professionals responsible for business recruitment, retention, formation, and expansion as well as rural economic development. Loudoun, part of the Washington metro region, has been one of the fastest growing counties in the nation since the 1980s, has a highly educated workforce, and is in the enviable position of having both a strong commercial and industrial base and a thriving rural economy. Prior to being recruited to lead Loudoun’s economic development team, Flynn was the economic development director for the City of Charlotte, overseeing all day-to-day business operations for the 16-person department. Specific responsibilities included the City of Charlotte’s efforts in business retention and expansion, small business development, redevelopment and workforce development. Under his leadership, Charlotte experienced significant economic growth, including development occurring in targeted economic development geographies. In addition to the development of The Westin Charlotte and Mid-Town Square, a mixed-use development, Flynn also oversaw the recruitment and retention of Time Warner Cable, General Dynamics and IKEA. He was instrumental in the development and implementation of Charlotte’s economic development programs, including BusinessFirst Charlotte, the Business Investment Grant program and the Business Corridor Strategic Plan. Prior to his position in Economic Development, Flynn enjoyed a successful 20-year career for the City of Charlotte in various positions, including budget analyst, assistant to the city manager, assistant to the mayor, and economic development officer. Flynn is on the board of directors of the International Economic Development Association and has been a member of several Urban Land Institute Advisory Panels. Flynn received his undergraduate degree from Kalamazoo College and his MPA from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin. He also has earned the designation of a certified economic developer by the International Economic Development Association. A native of New Jersey, Flynn recently purchased a home in historic Middleburg, Virginia with his wife. He enjoys spending his free time with his three step-children and four grandchildren.

Dr. Kolzow is currently President of Team Kolzow, Inc., an economic development consulting firm out of Franklin, Tennessee, and a principal consultant with Taimerica Management in Louisiana. Previously, he served as Executive Director of the Tennessee Leadership Center, which was part of Tennessee Tomorrow based in Nashville, Tennessee. From 1999 to 2003, he served as the Chair of the Department of Economic Development and Planning at the University of Southern Mississippi. From 1997 to 1999 he was a Principal at Lockwood Greene Consulting in Greer, South Carolina, and also served as Principal in charge of Economic Development for Fluor Daniel Consulting from 1995 to 1997. From 1986 to early 1995, he was President of the firm of Kolzow & Associates Inc., a site selection and economic development consulting firm based in Tucson, Arizona. Other past positions include Vice President of the Greater Tucson Economic Council, Manager in Real Estate Advisory Services for Laventhol & Horwath, Vice President in charge of Development Advisory Services for PHH Fantus, and Assistant Vice President with Real Estate Research Corporation. Dr. Kolzow also was on the faculty of DePaul University and Northeastern Illinois University, and taught courses at the University of Arizona. Dr. Kolzow has over thirty-seven years of consulting experience in site selection, real estate development planning, and community economic development. His past clients include numerous communities, states, and some of the largest land developers in the nation. His wide-ranging experience has also made him popular as a speaker and trainer. He served on the faculty of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma from 1985 to 2000, and recently is the instructor for EDI’s online course in strategic planning. Since 1995, he has been the principal instructor of the IEDC course on Management, and is also providing the World Bank with its training of investment promotion managers in underdeveloped countries. Dr. Kolzow has served on the faculty of Basic Economic Development Courses in Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia, Arizona, New Mexico, Michigan, Kentucky, California, and North Carolina, and is currently Dean of the Basic course in Louisiana. Dr. Kolzow has authored a number of articles, as well as the books entitled A Strategic Approach to Economic Development published by Taimerica Management in mid-2010, Strategic Planning for Economic Development published by the American Economic Development Council, and Leadership: The Key Issue in Economic Development that was published by the Southern Economic Development Council in early 2003. Dr. Kolzow received his B.S. degree from Concordia College in River Forest, Illinois; his M.S. in Geography from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb; and his Ph.D. in Geography from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. His active memberships include the International Economic Development Council, the National Rural Economic Developers Association, and the Tennessee Economic Development Council.

Ms. Stanley is currently contracting with the Florida Institute of Government at the University of South Florida, where she is the Learning and Development Facilitator. She also manages her consulting company specializing in a variety of economic development and downtown development areas including strategic planning; organizational management and restructuring; business development and retention strategies. She also partners with Impact Data Source, an Austin based consulting firm that conducts economic and fiscal impact analyses. Ms. Stanley has over 30 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. She has published numerous articles on economic development and the certification process. She has been actively involved in IEDC for over 15 years as a grader and committee member; currently serving as Vice Chair of IEDC’s Education and Certification Committee. She is a Past Chairman of the Florida Economic Development Council. In 2008, she was named Economic Development Professional of the Year in Florida.