Story ideas are welcomed for each of the 2006 editions of the magazine. For more information, contact editor Louise Anderson at landerson@iedconline.org. Past issues of Economic Development America magazine are available at www.eda.gov/NewsEvents/Edevinfocoalition.xml.

EDA Executive Staff Update

Assistant Secretary Sandy Baruah is pleased to announce the following updates to EDA’s senior staff:

• Mr. Benjamin Erulkar now serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. In this capacity, Mr. Erulkar is responsible for the day-to-day operations of EDA. Mr. Erulkar also directs long-range planning efforts on behalf of EDA’s mission, which is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy.

  Prior to his appointment as Deputy Assistant Secretary, Mr. Erulkar served as EDA’s Chief Council, where he led and managed all aspects of legal practice and policy of the $250 million economic development bureau – including working to secure EDA’s reauthorization legislation and promulgating a comprehensive revision of EDA’s regulations. Mr. Erulkar also served as counsel to the Strengthening America’s Communities Advisory Committee, a Federal Advisory Committee established by the Secretary of Commerce.

• Jim Yeager, currently serving as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, will assume the role of EDA Chief of Staff. Prior to his move to the Commerce Department, Mr. Yeager served as Deputy Associate Director in the Office of Presidential Personnel in the White House. Under the direction of the President, the Office of Presidential Personnel manages the recruitment, vetting and nomination of all political appointees to the United States government.

  Before his White House service, Mr. Yeager was an Associate at Heidrick & Struggles International, a publicly traded global executive search firm, where he played an active role in the formation of a new Government Services Practice and Global Security Practice. Mr. Yeager also held positions in: New Life Clinics in Falls Church, Virginia, a privately owned national behavioral health organization; eSSOCIATION in Baltimore, Maryland, an early state technology start-up company that provided online community services for the nonprofit sector; and The International Foundation in Washington, D.C., which is devoted to leadership training and mentoring for university students, business leaders and elected members of the United States government.

• Mr. Barry Bird now serves as EDA’s Chief Counsel. Formerly, he was part of EDA’s Office of Chief Counsel from 1976 until 1981. In 1981, he moved to the Office of General Counsel in the Department of Commerce to handle a variety of legislative matters, including those relating to EDA. Mr. Bird was with that office until his assignment as EDA Chief Counsel. He has worked on numerous EDA legislative proposals, including the 1998 and 2004 reauthorizations of the Public Works and Economic Development Act and the Administration’s Strengthening America’s Communities Initiative. Mr. Bird's law degree is from Georgetown University and he has been a member of the D.C. Bar since 1976.