Jeff Gottke begins his tenure as the economic development director for the City of Gahanna, Ohio, on April 28. Previously, Gottke served as president of the Area Development Foundation in Knox County since 2020.
"Congratulations to Jeff Gottke, who is going to be the economic director for the city of Guyana," Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr said during a Mount Vernon City Council meeting on April 14. "I know Mayor Laurie Jadwin at Gahanna very well. We serve on the executive committee of MORPC (Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission) together, and she's just about as smart and as great as they come in terms of mayors, and so our loss is their gain."
According to a City of Gahanna news release, Gottke will lead the city's economic development efforts. His responsibilities will include business attraction and retention programs, workforce development initiatives, and collaboration with partner organizations and stakeholders to implement overall economic development strategies for Gahanna.
The news release also states that Gottke has nearly 30 years of public service experience. His career includes serving in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps with a deployment to Iraq, teaching and coaching debate for 13 years, and being elected to the Mount Vernon City Council in 2018 where he chaired its Streets Committee. That same year, he began working for the Area Development Foundation in Knox County where he implemented economic development policy for over 24 stakeholder groups.
Gottke reportedly said that substantive economic development will leverage Gahanna's assets to build a community where residents and workers can find meaningful work, abundant opportunity, and a rewarding quality of life.
Mayor Jadwin said that over the last year Gahanna celebrated openings and expansions amounting to more than $100 million invested in businesses, resulting in over 500 high-quality new jobs.
