Please Join Impact 100 Redwood Circle for an
ED TALK with Sheba Person-Whitley,
Executive Director,
Sonoma County Economic Development Board
January 13, 2020 4:30 pm
The Sonoma County Board of Directors appointed Sheba Person-Whitley to the Executive Director of the Economic Development Board position in May 2019.
In her role at EDB, Sheba has led the efforts to support and meet the needs of small businesses in Sonoma County during fires and COVID-19. This includes responding and supporting the many Latino businesses in our county. Providing small business support to many cultures, Sheba has a unique perspective supporting each other and allowing new leaders to come forward.
Sheba began her economic development career in 2008. Before accepting Sonoma County’s position, Sheba served as the Economic Development Manager for the City of Stockton. She led the Economic Development team focusing on business attraction and industry retention efforts, adaptive reuse, program development, equitable economic development, and community engagement.
Before relocating to California, Sheba served as the Senior International Trade Manager for Louisiana Economic Development. She was responsible for redeveloping the state’s export promotion & international trade program and increasing foreign direct investment into Louisiana. Sheba led international trade missions to Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates.
Sheba also worked in economic development for the North Carolina Dept. of Commerce in various capacities. Key contributions included an export promotion, operations management, program development, business retention & expansion, and administration of the state’s Certified Sites Program. In addition, she worked as a research analyst focusing on wage, labor, and economic data analysis to support businesses’ establishment and growth in the state.
Sheba attended North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., receiving a B.A. in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations. She also received her M.S. from Southern New Hampshire University in Operations & Project Management.
Sheba is a member of the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED), International Economic Development Council (IEDC), Project Management Institute (PMI), Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC).
For questions and/or help, please email
Thea Hensel at theahensel@gmail.com,
Laurie Parish at parishlaurie1@gmail.com