We’re starting Fiscal Year 2023 with exciting staff changes, including a new job opportunity on the business development team. In July, Erika Dean joined EDCUtah as the executive assistant and office manager. Erika brings 15 years of experience managing diverse office environments, from an industrial equipment manufacturer to a financial services firm.

Gerritt Vander Linden has also accepted a position as EDCUtah’s business development analyst. Gerritt joined EDCUtah earlier this year for an internship focused on supporting the executive team and the Center for Economic Opportunity & Belonging. Prior to his time at EDCUtah, he spent a semester as a writing and research intern at the World Trade Association of Utah.

Longtime EDCUtah employees Stephanie Pack and Katherine Morell-Moser accepted promotions as senior business development managers. Stephanie Pack manages corporate recruitment, retention, and expansion projects within the manufacturing and industrial production industry. She leads industry initiatives within Energy and Outdoor Products throughout Utah and has developed a professional emphasis in water and utility infrastructure. In her expanded role, she will help EDCUtah improve its internal Business Development processes and technology.

Katherine Morrell-Moser manages corporate expansion and recruitment projects in the energy, data center, heavy industrial, and agriculture industries. Before joining the business development team, Katherine developed and ran Site Ready Utah—a statewide land certification program—and supported Utah communities’ economic development goals in EDCUtah's Community Strategy department. In her new role, she will also collaborate with Elvon Farrell on community strategy initiatives and help guide the direction of the program.

This month, we also bid a bittersweet farewell to business development manager Vlada Yaremenko. Vlada joined EDCUtah in 2019 and was promoted to business development manager in 2021. In her role as BD manager, Vlada managed projects in aerospace and defense, advanced materials, financial services, and manufacturing. Vlada is leaving EDCUtah to pursue a Master of Science in international development and humanitarian emergencies at the London School of Economics. Her goal is to apply the economic development skills she learned at EDCUtah to help her home country, Ukraine, rebuild after the war. Vlada’s last day at EDCUtah was August 5.

We are interviewing potential candidates to join the business development team, and we look forward introducing a new team member in the coming weeks.