EDB Vice President of Business Development Tamsin Bell and City of Lacey Economic Development Coordinator Wesley Nguyen are this year’s Economic Development Advocates of the Year.

The duo was honored by the Washington Economic Development Association (WEDA) for their work as co-chairs of the WEDA Emerging Leaders Group. They were among this year’s Economic Development Award winners honored March 30 during WEDA’s 2023 Spring Conference in Olympia. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements in economic development and honor work done across the state to recover jobs and rebuild communities.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by WEDA for this important work,” Bell said. “The Emerging Leaders Group provides new economic development professionals with a range of tools and opportunities they need to become tomorrow’s economic development leaders.”

Bell and Nguyen are also working on a new initiative focused on creating a stronger workforce development pathway for economic development.