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Greg Wathen serves as president and CEO of the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana. Since March of 2007, his leadership has helped garner over $2.8 billion in investment, over 3,500 jobs and $74 million in state and federal grants for the region. In 2015, Greg’s collaborative efforts saw Indiana’s Great Southwest named one of Indiana’s first Regional Cities and being awarded $42 million in state funding to help create projects to attract talent to the region.
Not only has Greg helped create Southwest Indiana into a national brand, he has helped steer projects such as worldwide appliance giant Haier America to place its first research and development tech center in Evansville.
Prior to his work at the Coalition, Greg worked as the executive director for the Perry County Development Corporation and was public affairs manager for the Greater Louisville Economic Development Partnership. He also managed the Greater Louisville Media Information Center, an independent news service bureau which assisted international, national and regional media in dealing with stories about the Greater Louisville area. In 1999 and 2001, he was part of a five-member U.S. team who taught the first tertiary and advanced economic development courses in New Zealand.
A graduate of Indiana State University, Greg is accredited in Public Relations by the Public Relations Society of America and held the position of president for the Bluegrass Chapter of the PRSA. He is a past president and served on the board of directors of the Indiana Economic Development Association, a statewide economic development organization with more than 400 members.