Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk is pleased to announce the appointment of Veronica Briseño as the new Director of the Economic Development Department. 
 
Veronica Briseño
Veronica Briseño has served the City of Austin, TX in various roles since 1999.  Currently, she serves as the Interim Homeless Strategy Officer (HSO) coordinating the City’s homeless response activities with multiple departments. She will transition into the top leadership role of the Economic Development Department effective in late June of 2019; however, Veronica will remain as Interim HSO through the end of July when a new Homeless Strategy Officer is expected to be on board.
 
“I look forward to working with the talented Economic Development staff and implementing goals that will focus on the importance of business recruitment, small business development, arts, music, and international relations – all of the factors that make Austin the most livable city we love,” Veronica stated.
 
Prior to this role, Veronica has served in multiple roles within the Small and Minority Business Resources Department (SMBR) including Director, Assistant Director, and Administrative Manager. Veronica also served in the office of former Council Member Raul Alvarez and in the City Manager’s Office.
 
Veronica holds a Master of Public Affairs degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin in addition to a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. 
 
Veronica is the immediate past President for the Local Government Hispanic Network (LGHN) and past President of the Austin Hispanic Latino Network (AHLN).  She is the Co-Founder and Vice Chair for “Woman to Woman,” a City of Austin Affinity Organization, and is a member of the International City Management Association (ICMA).  In 2018, Veronica was awarded the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Latina Leadership Industry Award for Public Service.
 
The Economic Development Department leads the global business expansion, urban regeneration, small business development, cultural arts, and music efforts for Austin. Through traditional and equity-based approaches they develop innovative programs that increase the prosperity of all Austinites, our businesses and our diverse communities. EDD is responsible for implementing Council’s adopted economic development vision which includes Economic Development Guiding Principles and Chapter 380 Policy, a Business Expansion Incentive Program for existing local business expansions, targeted hiring and external relocations, and the development of a Locational Enhancement Program.
 
­­In the summer of 2018, Cronk began the process of reorganizing the City Manager’s Office around the outcomes in the Strategic Direction 2023. The City released a survey asking the community what skills and characteristics they felt were most important for City executives to possess. The responses to the survey helped build job postings and candidate profiles utilized for national recruitment efforts.

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