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Ronnie L. Bryant, CEcD, FM, HLM
Charlotte Regional Partnership
President & CEO

1001 Morehead Square Drive, Suite 200
Charlotte, NC 28209
Voice: (704) 347-8942
Fax: (704) 347-8981
Web site: http://www.charlotteusa.com
Email: rbryant@charlotteusa.com



As President and CEO of the Charlotte Regional Partnership, Ronnie Bryant, a certified economic developer (CEcD) since 1991, leads the economic development organization that promotes the 16-county Charlotte USA region as a premier location for businesses considering expansion or relocation. With more than 30 years of technical, managerial and economic development expertise, Bryant is nationally known for his proven track record of establishing and implementing successful economic development programs, with a strong emphasis on existing industry expansion and retention, regionalism and marketing. The editors of Site Selection magazine have recognized Bryant for excellence in the field of economic development by twice naming organizations he led in Pittsburgh and St. Louis to its list of Top 10 economic development groups in the nation, and in 2007, the Charlotte Regional Partnership received an Honorary Mention. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ranked him No. 25 on its list of top 50 business leaders, and Charlotte – The City Magazine named Bryant No. 30 in its list of Charlotte’s Fifty Most Powerful.

Prior to joining CRP, Bryant was president and chief operating officer of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance where he marketed the region and collaborated with regional economic development agencies to develop and implement job creation strategies. Before working in Pittsburgh, Bryant was the senior vice president of the Economic Development Division for the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association where he has been credited with the development of job creation strategies that resulted in more than 117,000 jobs within a five-year period. These professional skills grew from leading the development team at the Shreveport, La., Chamber of Commerce, working as a development consultant, and holding managerial and technical positions at AT&T's Western Electric facility.

Bryant is a graduate of Louisiana State University in Shreveport and the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma (OU/EDI) in Norman. While attending OU/EDI, he received the American Economic Development Council’s Robert B. Cassell Leadership Award for excellence in leadership and scholarship. He currently serves as the assistant dean of OU/EDI, a member of the Executive Board and a member of the OU/EDI faculty. Bryant has lectured internationally and nationally on issues related to economic development marketing, professional development and organizational management.

Bryant is well known in economic development circles. He is immediate past-chairman of the board for the International Economic Development Council, which has also designated him as a Fellow Member and an Honorary Life Member for furthering the profession of economic development as a teacher and inspiration to others in many communities. Additionally, he is involved with CoreNet Global and is a member of the Urban Land Institute. His regional professional affiliations include both the North and South Carolina Economic Development Associations. Bryant’s civic participation includes board memberships with the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, Charlotte Research Institute, the United Way of Central Carolinas, The Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Broadcasting Authority, The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s (Charlotte Branch) Small Business and Agricultural Advisory Council, the Charlotte City Club and The North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

He and his wife, Sandra, have three children – Rarland, Remeka and Ronda.

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