By Nicole Morell, Director of Communications
Since 2018, the Taubman Center has been hosting the Economic Development Seminar, a yearlong, monthly seminar for students who are committed to public service and interested in state and local economic development. Through readings and discussions with visiting economic development leaders from across the US, students learn about the field and its implications for policymaking and public administration.
Nathan Ohle, President and CEO of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), shared his insights with 33 seminar students at HKS in October 2025. Learn more about Nathan’s experience and guidance for those interested in economic development career pathways below.
What brought you to economic development?
Like many people, I fell into economic development. I started my career working for Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. I started doing “advance” for the Governor, which meant that I was out ahead of any public event she was attending working with the event organizers, media, security, etc. and in charge of briefing the governor before she came on site and getting her out on time. I eventually became her trip director, traveling with her and in every meeting with the governor. I loved working for her, but when my wife got pregnant with our daughter, the 18-hour days with the schedule changing the night before was not going to be conducive to me getting to spend time with our new baby. I went to the governor and said that I wanted to stay engaged, but could not continue as her trip director, and asked what else I could do to help. She said, “we need really good people in economic development”, and I said that I had no idea what that was but that I was happy to help.
I ended up working at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, running three different state-level economic development boards. I spent almost five years there working in economic development during the recession, which was both incredibly hard and full of opportunity. We operated some of your typical economic development programs, such as company recruitment and retention, but also created new programs to meet the needs of communities of all sizes in the heart of the recession, including entrepreneurial ecosystem and small business development. I spent a couple of years in the nonprofit sector after that before getting recruited to move to Washington, DC. I had an opportunity to lead all policy and external affairs at the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, building my experience at the federal level both within Commerce and across several cross-agency collaborations. After leaving federal service, I had the unique opportunity to run an organization called the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP), where we worked exclusively in rural and tribal communities, focusing on economic development, access to safe drinking water and sanitary wastewater disposal, disaster recovery, capacity building across the country, and more.
Throughout my career, I have gotten this unique perspective on the state and federal levels and worked directly in communities on these economic development issues. This all led me to my role as President and CEO of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), where I've been since 2022.
What issues surrounding economic development keep you up at night?
Economic development, like many sectors, is facing a large number of retirements in the coming years. Folks who have worked in this field for the past several decades will be leaving the workforce entirely, and I’m concerned about the next generation of economic developers who will step into leadership in this expanding profession. Many of us in this space, self-included, joke about how we fell into this work. But that non-traditional pathway to this career makes it hard to replicate and build that next generation.
It’s heartening to come to a place like the Kennedy School, work with the Taubman Center, and see students who are interested in this field who can pick up the reigns of this work and not only move it forward but continue to evolve it. Most importantly, seeing these students want to do this work at the local and state level is critical, as this is perhaps the most undervalued place to do the work.
What are you most hopeful about?
Speaking at an event at the Kennedy School, we asked how many students had even heard of economic development and how many were interested in pursuing it as a career. Around 80 percent of students raised their hands to both questions. In a field where we're facing the dual issue of retiring workers and a not well-known career option, it was incredible to see that and know there is a pipeline of students tapped into this work and eager to take it on.
In addition to working with universities and engaging students, I am hopeful about other ways we are working to build that pipeline. Last year, IEDC launched the Economic Recovery Corps, an effort with six partners, including the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities, the National Association of Development Organizations, the International City/County Management Association, the Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network, and the Center on Rural Innovation. The Economic Recovery Corps has two primary goals: one, to embed more than 65 Fellows directly in distressed communities of all sizes —urban, rural, suburban, and tribal— for 2 ½ years across the United States, to help them build capacity in economic development in the long-term . And number two: start building a pipeline for the next generation of leaders in economic development. We had tremendous success in all these aspects, including creating the (Economic Recovery Corps) partnership behind it. In just 18 months of their 30-month fellowships, those Fellows have already leveraged more than $160 million for those communities, all in areas that had struggled to access funding and build capacity for decades. That certainly gives me hope and inspires me.
Why was it important for you to be here?
The students! Any chance I get to talk about my work with students or help them explore the possibilities of a career in economic development, I’m going to take it. Talking to students who are exploring this field gives me the chance to highlight all the different ways you can do this work. It’s not just local and regional economic development, but its roles through universities, nonprofits, and more. This work can be brought to life through so many different channels.
And my job is all about feedback and insights that community members share. Hearing students’ thoughts and perspectives around economic development is something I take right back to my work and apply. I hope to hear from you soon. And I encourage you learn more at IEDC.org and get involved!
