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Bio: Dan is currently the Economic Development Director for Gilbert, Arizona and is responsible for attracting, growing and expanding business and industry.  In this executive leadership role with Gilbert he oversees the administration of a $1.8 million dollar departmental budget and a $5 million dollar reserve fund for deal closing.  In 2013, the Gilbert Office of Economic Development earned the Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) status through the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and ended the year with a transactional activity exceeding $198,000,000.

Prior to his employment with Gilbert he was employed by the City of Tempe for six years as an Economic Development Specialist where he was responsible for implementing projects and programs that support commercial, office, and industrial expansion.  In that role, he provided financial and economic information to existing businesses including the availability of state and local incentive programs, workforce/job training initiatives, and financial assistance programs.

Prior to his employment with the City of Tempe, Dan was employed by Raymond James Consulting, a national technology and solution delivery consulting group where he provided pre/post technical expertise, positioning strategies, requirements definition, market and business analysis, project management, application development and data warehousing/business intelligence solutions.

Dan has served as a contract consultant with IBM Global Business Services and other national services firms where he acted as a Business Analyst and Project Manager on various business intelligence and facility acquisition projects.  He started his career as the Manager of Foreign Direct Investment for the World Trade Center and was accountable for program development activities targeting European markets and international trade.

Mr. Henderson is a Certified Economic Developer and holds an undergraduate degree in Management and Finance and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Computer Information Systems.  He is an Adjunct Faculty member for Chandler-Gilbert Community College in the Business and Computer Studies Division and is a graduate of Tempe Leadership.

Bio: Jennifer is an economic development professional with over 16 years of experience. During her career she has had the opportunity to engage in every aspect of the profession, from market research, to strategic planning, to business attraction and retention.

Prior to joining the Gilbert team, she served as a Project Manager for the City of Mesa where one of her key projects was the development of the Mesa Center for Higher Education. She has also held positions as Economic Development Specialist for the City of Scottsdale and the Director of Business Retention & Expansion for the Greater Flagstaff Economic Council. While at the City of Scottsdale, Jennifer managed the relocation, expansion and retention of 21 businesses, representing over $12 million in capital investment and 1,500 new or retained jobs. In Flagstaff, she was responsible for the management and implementation of a dynamic retention and expansion program that resulted in 12 local companies applying for and receiving Arizona Job Training Grants, totaling over $850,000, to train 136 net new employees and 581 incumbent employees.

Jennifer earned an MS in Applied Economics from the University of North Texas and a BS in Regional Development from the University of Arizona. In 2009 she also earned her Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation. She is currently serving as the President of the Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED) and is a member of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).

A native to Arizona, she is also very active in the community and spends much of her spare time volunteering for a variety causes. Most notably, she served as President of the Anne Rita Monahan (ARM) Foundation for five years which raised over $100,000 to fund ovarian cancer research at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

Bio: Amanda Elliott has served in the office of economic development for Gilbert, Arizona in since 2012.

Prior to joining Gilbert, Amanda worked for Gilbane Building Company, a national real estate development and construction company. In her tenure at Gilbane, Amanda held a number of roles including Associate Manager of Business Development, National Sales Services Manager, and Marketing Manager. Some of her key achievements include reorganization of the Phoenix marketing department, transition of prospects into clients – thereby leading the Arizona office to surpassing its $2 million sales goal, and serving as a national marketing manager to develop and transform Gilbane’s marketing approach from a regional focus to a national focus.

Amanda worked as the Western Region Public Relations Manager for Barton Malow Company where she executed all aspects of the public relations efforts for the Western Region. She also worked at Turner Construction Company where she served in a number of roles including Marketing Coordinator and Marketing Assistant.

Amanda holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a Certificate of International Business from Arizona State University. She is a member of numerous organizations including the Public Relations Society of America Phoenix Chapter where she previously served as a member of the Board of Directors from 2007 – 2010, University Relations Chair and Membership Chair and the Arizona Association of Economic Development (AAED) where she previously served as Chair of the Public Relations Committee and the Phoenix East Valley where she participates on the marketing/branding committee.

Amanda was awarded the AAED Economic Development Distinguished by Excellence for New Member of the Year in 2007 as well as the Gilbert Mayor’s Best in Class Award in 2013.

Bio: Sydney has over four years of experience working in the East Valley municipal government, specifically in planning and development. Sydney has been a member of Team Gilbert since 2018 and before joining the Economic Development Department, she worked as a Planner in the Development Services Department.

Before Gilbert, she served as a Planning Technician for the City of Tempe. While in her previous roles, she was instrumental in many high-profile development projects that have shaped the communities she has worked in. Her passions are rooted in public service with the overarching goal of developing and supporting resilient communities that foster a unique sense of place.

Sydney is an Arizona native and attended Arizona State University for both her undergraduate and post-graduate education, receiving a Bachelor in Urban Planning, Bachelor in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in sustainability and marketing, and a Master in Urban and Environmental Planning. She recently became a certified Planner and received her AICP from the American Planning Association in 2021.