Special to the Leader

ORANGE– The Orange County Economic Development Corporation has announced Nicole Ryf will be the guest speaker at the Developing Our Future – Leadership Lunch on May 8th.

1. Ryf has more than a decade of community and economic development experience at the city, county, and state level. Nicole currently serves as Director of the Business and Community Development team within the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism. Over the course of her 4+ years with the Governor’s Office, Nicole’s responsibilities have gradually increased from project management to administering the Texas Enterprise Fund to serving as the Director of the Economic Development Finance team. In her current role, Nicole oversees the core functions of economic development for the office, including business recruitment and expansion efforts, incentive and finance programs, and general business assistance and entrepreneur support.

Prior to moving to Texas, Nicole served as Community Development Director for the City of Evansville, WI. In that role, she coordinated the City’s economic development efforts in addition to guiding planning and zoning activities. Nicole also worked as a Community Development Educator for the University of Wisconsin-Extension, which involved building capacity within local government, non-profit, economic development, and business organizations.

Nicole has undergraduate degrees in History and International Studies from the University of Wisconsin and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Registration for the Developing Our Future – Leadership Lunch is available online at www.orangetexaschamber.org. Individual seats are available for $25.00 and a sponsor table of 8 may be purchased for $400.00 which includes program recognition and preferred seating. For more information, contact our office at 409.883.7770 or jhill@orangecountyedc.com.