Economic Development During A Pandemic

Dr. Eloisa Klementich is President and CEO of Invest Atlanta. Previously, Eloisa served as managing director of business development at Invest Atlanta. In this position, she worked to attract new businesses and create initiatives that promoted job growth in Atlanta. Before coming to Invest Atlanta, Eloisa served as special assistant for economic development at the U.S. Economic Development Administration in the Office of the Secretary. She served as California’s assistant deputy secretary for economic development and commerce and has held various roles with city governments, including the consultant for Mexico’s President Vicente Fox, working on best practices for addressing constituent issues and requests. Eloisa holds a bachelor’s degree from Pitzer College and a master’s degree in business administration from el Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey. She holds two master’s degrees in urban planning and Latin American affairs from the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her doctorate degree in public administration from the University of LaVerne. Eloisa is also active in various business and civic organizations. She serves as a board member for the Latin American Civic Association, Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, Atlanta Technical College, Atlanta Workforce Development Agency, LaunchPad 2x, Startup Atlanta, and Atlanta Emerging Markets, Inc. A graduate of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2017, she is also involved with the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, Georgia Economic Development Association, and International Economic Development Council.

Pat Wilson was appointed Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) in November 2016. As Commissioner, he leads the state agency responsible for creating jobs and investment opportunities in Georgia through business recruitment and expansion, small business growth, international trade and tourism, as well as the arts, film and music industries. Pat is responsible for leading the GDEcD team in planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. Under Governor Brian P. Kemp and Commissioner Wilson’s leadership, Georgia was named the No. 1 state in the nation in which to do business for the seventh consecutive year in a row by Site Selection and sixth year in a row by Area Development. GDEcD was also rated as the nation’s best state-level economic development organization by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in 2017. Mr. Wilson previously served as Chief Operating Officer of GDEcD from January 2011 until his appointment as Commissioner by former Governor Nathan Deal. As COO, he managed the daily operations of the agency, directed long-term strategy, managed the agency’s legislative priorities and served as the department’s liaison with the Georgia Congressional delegation and federal government partners. In addition, Pat served as Executive Director of the Georgia Allies. Mr. Wilson joined GDEcD as Deputy Commissioner for Global Commerce in 2010. Prior to that, he served on the staff of Governor Sonny Perdue as the director of government affairs. In that position, he led efforts to promote Governor Perdue’s legislative agenda at the State Capitol and managed federal affairs for the state of Georgia. He previously served as director of federal affairs for the state, opening the Washington, D.C., office in 2005. There he worked to promote the state’s agenda with the U.S. Congress and federal agencies as the Governor’s representative to the Georgia congressional delegation. Prior to his work in state government, Mr. Wilson was director of governmental affairs for Greenberg Traurig, LLP, in Washington. He served under the late Sen. Paul Coverdell and under then-Rep. Nathan Deal. He is a Franklin Springs, Georgia, native, and holds an undergraduate degree in political science with a focus on international relations from the University of Georgia. He and his wife Melissa and their two children, Padgett and Carter, reside in Sandy Springs.