October 12, 2006
Carter named interim economic development head
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois University Carbondale has appointed Emily J. Carter interim director of the SIUC Office of Economic and Regional Development.
John A. Koropchak, SIUC vice chancellor for research and graduate dean, announced the appointment. "Emily Carter is integrally involved with a number of new initiatives being developed in collaboration with the President's Office and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. She is the right person to provide leadership of (the office) in this time of transition," Koropchak said.
Carter, who also serves as director of entrepreneurship and business development in the office, replaces Raymond C. Lenzi, who retired after 11 years at the helm of the office. Located in the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center in the Southern Illinois Research Park, the office coordinates SIUC's commitment to economic development in Southern Illinois by providing leadership in policy and program development, access to the expertise and resources of SIUC and delivery of research and service programs for the region and state.
"Having worked in many different roles in our organization, I am very excited to have the opportunity to lead it during a period that I am confident will bring about significant changes," said Carter.
Born and raised in Carbondale, Carter is a two-degree graduate of SIUC, earning a bachelor of science in marketing in 1988 and a master of business administration in 1992.
Over the years, she held a variety of posts at SIUC including business counselor and assistant director at the Small Business Development Center, associate director of the Illinois Technology Enterprise Center and director of the Southern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center. She has served as director of Entrepreneurship and Business Development since 2005
Through her work, Carter provided consulting and group counseling to Southern Illinois entrepreneurs in the areas of finance, business planning, management, accounting and marketing.
In 2004, Carter won a Program Excellence Award from the Illinois Small Business Development Association in recognition of Camp CEO, a youth entrepreneurship program.
Carter will serve as interim director of the office during the search for a permanent replacement. Koropchak said he hopes "to initiate a national search by December to fill the position on a permanent basis before the end of the fiscal year."
For now, Carter wants to focus "on our short-term future and the impact my management decisions will have on our long-term goals. At the end of my service as interim, I plan to step back and see what we look like and evaluate my options," she said.
Expanding our reach is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.
Emily J. Carter
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