EDA - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Regional Director
• Regional Director for EDA 's Denver Regional Office

Angela Belden Martinez serves as the Regional Director for EDA's Denver Regional Office, responsible for EDA's ten-state mountain west region. Angela joined the Denver office in 2016 after serving for more than six years as EDA's Director of External Affairs in Washington, D.C., where she advised the Assistant Secretary on strategic policy issues and managed both the legislative and public affairs work of the agency. As part of her work at EDA, Angela has helped shape and launch several multi-agency initiatives, including the Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge, the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership, and EDA's Regional Innovation Strategies Program, now known as Build to Scale. Angela brings 20 years of experience in both the private and public sectors. Before joining the Department of Commerce, Angela was Vice President of Corporate Communications for the Motion Picture Association of America, where she managed global communications efforts and served as a senior advisor to the CEO and member company officials. Prior to that, Angela served clients and developed business at two prominent Washington, D.C. public affairs firms. An Indiana native, she served as Communications Director for her hometown congressman as well as Deputy Press Secretary and Director of Communications for former Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon. In these roles, Angela acted as spokesperson, developed and coordinated media and messaging strategies, and worked closely with external stakeholders. Angela earned her bachelor's degree from Indiana University with a double major in Journalism and Political Science.

Job Titles:

• Director, Office of Innovation

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Acting Assistant Secretary
• Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development and Chief Operating Officer

Ben is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development and Chief Operating Officer for EDA. In this capacity, Ben is the senior career executive at the bureau responsible for overseeing operations and strategic planning to ensure the bureau delivers on its mission. Prior to his time at EDA, Ben served in a variety of senior roles across the Department of Commerce, working to develop strategies and align outcomes to achieve policy goals. Immediately prior to joining EDA, Ben served as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Commerce to coordinate cross department efforts to stand up and implement new large scale programming resulting from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act. Ben also previously served as the Census bureau's chief financial officer where he oversaw efforts to secure and execute resources for the 2020 Decennial census and improve the positions of the bureau in the annual financial statement audit. Prior to joining the Census Bureau, Ben held a variety of roles at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), including Chief of OMB's Commerce branch and as an advisor to three different OMB directors, covering macro fiscal issues. Ben received a bachelor of arts in public administration from the University of Tennessee and a master's in public policy from George Washington University.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Affairs
• Member of the Federal Innovation Council

Craig Buerstatte is an entrepreneurial public servant who is passionate about building teams, businesses, and communities for the future. He first honed his innovation skills in remote areas of Iraq as an Army Officer, developing new supply chain solutions and infrastructure when resources were strained. Craig leveraged this experience to jump into entrepreneurship, founding a technology firm and investing in startups in Austin, Texas, before returning to public service to help the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) grow its Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (OIE). As Director for OIE, he led new policy initiatives and grant programs that promoted technology innovation and talent development as tools for economic development-growing the portfolio nearly 400% and scaling its impacts to over $1.6 billion in private investment capital and 14,000 jobs. Today, Craig serves as EDA's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Affairs, responsible for the implementation, growth, and evaluation of EDA's economic development programs and policies. This work brings together the tools and expertise across EDA's six regional offices, national program teams, and performance division to create more robust and resilient regional economies across America. Craig also serves as a member of the Federal Innovation Council, a team of civil servant leaders advising the Partnership for Public Service on strategies to move the Federal Government into a modern, 21st Century enterprise. When not trying to push government forward, he can be found digging in his evergreen garden on Capitol Hill or kayak fishing somewhere around the DMV. Craig's foundation in economic development can be traced through his education. He earned a B.S. in Economics from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Job Titles:

• Director, Economic Development Integration and Disaster Recovery

Job Titles:

• Chief
• Counsel

Job Titles:

• Chief Administrative Officer
• Chief Financial Officer
• Member of the Leadership Team

Jennifer Werner most recently served as the Director of the Department of the Interior's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act Program Management Office where she oversaw implementation and execution of the $36 billion in new funding. Previously, Jen served as the Deputy Chief Information Officer for Resource Management and was responsible for budget, financial services, human capital, and acquisition services for the DOI Office of the Chief Information Officer. Jen's other DOI roles include the Deputy Comptroller/Budget Officer for the National Park Service where she managed budget formulation, budget execution, strategic planning, and business systems. Prior to joining DOI, Jen spent 17 years at the Department of Commerce. Initially employed as an oceanographer, she spent more than a decade in budget, financial management, and administrative program management roles at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and served as the Chief Financial Officer for the National Technical Information Service. Jen earned a Master of Science in Meteorology from the Pennsylvania State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Oceanography from the United States Naval Academy.

Job Titles:

• Director of the Department of the Interior 's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Job Titles:

• Regional Director
• Regional Director for EDA 's Austin Regional Office

Jorge Ayala serves as the Regional Director for EDA's Austin Regional Office. He is responsible for a five-state region including Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. He and his staff develop and manage the agency's investments to support jobs, private investment, innovation, entrepreneurship, and global competitiveness in the region. Jorge has been with EDA for over 25 years. During his tenure, he has served in several capacities including Area Director, Director of Operations Management and Project Engineer. He has been instrumental in several major innovations that are now EDA standards, such as multi-year partnership planning grants and the EDA construction grant post-approval process tool. Before joining EDA, Jorge worked in the Air Force as an Aerospace Engineer on the F-16 and F-15 jet engines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney. While EDA represents a major departure from his jet engine days, he could not envision doing anything else. Jorge holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University - Kingsville and a master's degree in Engineering Management from the University of South Florida. Jorge is the recipient of the 2016 U.S. Department of Commerce Gold Medal Award for his work leading a national EDA team which improved the application process for all bureau grant programs.

Job Titles:

• Regional Director
• Regional Director of EDA 's Philadelphia Regional Office
• Regional Director of the Philadelphia Regional Office

Linda Cruz-Carnall serves as the Regional Director of EDA's Philadelphia Regional Office. Linda Cruz-Carnall was appointed Regional Director of the Philadelphia Regional Office in December 2015. She leads a staff of economic development professionals in the oversight and management of the region's operations, competitive and discretionary federal economic development funding, and outreach covering federal regions I, II, and III extending from Maine to the Virginias, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Linda joined EDA in March 1988 as Regional Counsel to the Philadelphia Regional Office, providing legal oversight and administrative expertise to the EDA staff and stakeholders. She has provided expertise in implementing a variety of new initiatives, including EDA's Innovation and Entrepreneurship initiative and the Regional Integration practice through Regional Economic Diversification Summits and Federal Interagency Resource Exchanges. Most recently, she has led regional office collaborative engagements with the Northern Border forest and Appalachian coal-impacted communities, and communities diversifying as a result of nuclear plant decommissioning. She serves as a regional representative of the White House Opportunity Revitalization Council, delivering outreach and collaborative support to federally-designated Opportunity Zones. She is actively engaged in EDA's delivery of CARES COVID-19 pandemic recovery assistance, American Recue Plan funding, and disaster recovery and resiliency services, including Disaster Supplemental competitive funding to mainland communities and island territories impacted by federally-declared disasters. Linda is a native Philadelphian, holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology from University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Villanova University School of Law.

Job Titles:

• Acting Regional Director for the Economic Development Administration 's ( EDA ) Seattle Regional Office

Maiea Sellers serves as the Acting Regional Director for the Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Seattle Regional Office where she leads efforts to support regional economic growth and community resilience. She started serving in the position in 2025, after more than eight years of service with EDA. Prior to that, she served for 14 years with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Multifamily Housing division. These positions have given her extensive expertise in human capital and federal program management. A native of Seattle, Sellers holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Washington's Foster School of Business and an MBA from Texas A&M University-Commerce. Her leadership in navigating complex, high-stake initiatives has been recognized with honors for her role in overseeing the regional implementation of the CARES Act and disaster recovery efforts in 2021. Under her leadership, the region successfully managed an increase in program funding, onboarded new staff, and exceeded agency goals, providing critical financial assistance to communities as they responded to the coronavirus pandemic. Sellers is committed to preparing communities within the Seattle region for sustainable growth, focusing on creating new employment opportunities and fostering pathways to family-sustaining careers. She is passionate about empowering local economies and driving innovative solutions to enhance long-term economic stability.

Job Titles:

• Acting Budget Director

Job Titles:

• Regional Director
• Regional Director of the Economic Development Administration 's ( EDA ) Atlanta Regional Office

Sheba Person-Whitley serves as Regional Director of the Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Atlanta Regional Office, under the U.S. Department of Commerce. Appointed to the position in December 2024, Person-Whitley leads a team of professionals in providing community-driven funding opportunities throughout the Atlanta Region, which includes eight southeastern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). Person-Whitley began her economic development career in 2008 with the North Carolina Department of Commerce. She later served as Senior International Trade Manager for Louisiana Economic Development and as the Economic Development Manager for the city of Stockton, California. In these roles, her responsibilities included export promotion; international trade; foreign direct investment; economic, labor, and wage analysis; operations management; program development; business retention, attraction, and expansion; and small business support. As a part of her international trade contributions for North Carolina and Louisiana, she led trade missions to Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. Person-Whitley holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from North Carolina State University and a Master of Science in Operations and Project Management from Southern New Hampshire University.

Job Titles:

• Regional Director
• in 2013 As Regional Counsel
• Regional Director of EDA 's Chicago Regional Office

Susan Brehm serves as the Regional Director of EDA's Chicago Regional Office. She leads a team of economic development professionals in developing and managing the agency's investments to support the creation of higher-skill, higher-wage jobs and to encourage private investment, innovation, entrepreneurship, and global competitiveness throughout Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, as well as Muscatine and Scott Counties in Iowa. Susan joined EDA in 2013 as Regional Counsel. Prior to her federal service, she was an associate with Sidley Austin LLP, where she advised local governments and institutional nonprofits on land use and other real property matters and litigated complex class actions. She also had a robust pro bono practice, successfully representing asylees, veterans, and incarcerated individuals. She earned a law degree at the University of California - Berkeley and a bachelor's degree in English literature at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. In the years between earning her degrees, Susan launched a small business providing editorial services to publishers. Susan grew up on a small, diversified family farm in northeastern Iowa and currently lives in the heart of Chicago. These divergent life experiences give her a balanced perspective and keen insights into the unique economic development challenges facing the Midwest's urban and rural communities.