Fernandez Stepping Down at EDA
Posted by: Mark Marich
on
February 27, 2012
Source: Policy Dialogue on Entrepreneurship
John Fernandez, U.S. Commerce Department Assistant Secretary for Economic Development, will leave his post at the end of the week and return to the private sector.
The former mayor of Bloomington, Indiana, had spent more than two years guiding the Economic Development Administration (EDA). During that time, he quietly oversaw the creation of several multi-agency initiatives including the i6 Challenge, the Jobs & Innovation Accelerator Challenge, the U.S. Cluster Mapping Project and the Regional Innovation Acceleration Network.
Perhaps more impressive was Fernandez’s ability to cut through some of the red tape—grant-making decision cycles shrunk from 128 business days to less than 20.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development Matthew Erskine will assume the role of Acting Assistant Secretary effective March 2, 2012.
Category:
Capitol Hill
Tags:
EDA,
John Fernandez
