Craig J. Richard, CEcD, FM, HLM
President and CEO,
Tampa Bay Economic Development Council
Craig J. Richard is President and CEO of the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council (EDC), the designated lead economic development organization for companies seeking to expand or locate in Hillsborough County, Florida.
Craig is a certified economic developer (CEcD) with economic development leadership experience in major markets such as Atlanta, Houston and Dallas. Over the span of his career, he has announced over 476 successful projects representing 141,593 jobs and more than $12 billion in capital investment. He earned his Master of Urban and Regional Planning, with a concentration in economic development, from Virginia Commonwealth University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston. Craig is also a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma and completed executive education programs at the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University.
Craig served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and was designated a fellow member (FM) and honorary lifetime member (HLM) by IEDC for his contributions to the economic development profession. He currently serves as vice chair of Film Tampa Bay, and serves on the boards of the Tampa Bay Chamber, Visit Tampa Bay, Downtown Tampa Partnership and the Straz Performing Arts Center. He was recognized as one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers by Consultant Connect, Florida’s 500 Most Influential Business Leaders by Florida Trend, and the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Power 100. He served as an Honorary Commander for MacDill AFB and is a member of Leadership Florida’s – Executive Class 11. Craig recently received the Distinguished Citizen Award from the University of South Florida and recognized as one of the Most Admired CEOs by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Married with two children, Craig enjoys golf, the outdoors and grilling.