When organizations reach milestones such as a golden anniversary, leadership should not only seize the opportunity to revel in past successes, but also proceed with a renewed focus on the future. In 2017, as the Board of Directors of the Indiana Economic Development Association (IEDA) looked toward the organization’s 50th anniversary, the Directors and contracted professionals chose to use the occasion to focus attention on the next phase of the organization’s story. They pondered how IEDA should continue to serve all its customers – both inside and outside the association – and to reaffirm IEDA’s commitment to the prosperity and vitality of Indiana.

During the first half of 2018, they embarked upon a strategic planning process which focused on how to best serve the IEDA’s mission through direct services to members and a focus on the economic development profession in which it operates. By surveying the environment and listening to customers, five themes for elevating the economic development professional emerged: