Barbara Koldos, vice president of business development for New North Inc., has earned the designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the organization announced in a press release Tuesday. The certification establishes her technical expertise, comprehensive conceptual knowledge, and mastery of economic development skills and strategies.
Koldos leads New North’s regional business attraction efforts, which include the site-selection process, marketing of Opportunity Zones, the Gold Shovel site-certification program, and engagement with local partners and real estate professionals to proactively identify and market sites/buildings. She also guides Global New North efforts around Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and export activity, represents the region at trade shows and site-selector events, and coordinates regional broadband efforts.
She becomes one of 32 CEcDs in Wisconsin and about 1,200 active CEcD economic development professionals throughout the world.
“Congratulations to Barbara on achieving CEcD certification,” New North President and CEO Barb LaMue said in a statement. “It is the most prestigious credential in the economic development field and requires expertise in a comprehensive sphere of industry-related subjects. In her nearly five years with New North, Barbara has become a highly-regarded economic development professional within Wisconsin and beyond.”
IEDC is the world’s largest membership organization for economic development professionals, and is comprised of approximately 5,000 members. A non-profit, non-partisan organization, IEDC offers the CEcD designation as an industry benchmark of excellence, signifying the world’s most knowledgeable and dedicated individuals in the field of economic development.
To receive the CEcD certification, candidates must successfully complete all prerequisite coursework and pass a rigorous examination which evaluates the practitioner’s knowledge across a range of essential economic development subject areas.
An active member of the community both personally and professionally, Koldos has served on the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband since November 2022, along with a position on the membership engagement advisory committee of IEDC. She additionally is president of the Northeast Wisconsin chapter of ACEL (Asian Corporate + Entrepreneur Leaders), and was named one of Wisconsin’s Most Influential Asian American Leaders by Madison365 in 2021.
