Please Join Impact 100 Redwood Circle in an
ED TALK with Sheba Person-Whitley,
Executive Director
Sonoma County Economic Development Board
Sheba Person-Whitley was appointed by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to the position of Executive Director of the Economic Development Board in May 2019.
In her role at EDB, Sheba has led the efforts to provide support and meet the needs of small business 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 on how we support each other and allow new leaders to come forward.
Sheba began her economic development career in 2008. Prior accepting the position with Sonoma County, Sheba served as the Economic Development Manager for the City of Stockton where she led the Economic Development team focusing on business attraction & industry retention efforts, adaptive reuse, program development, equitable economic development and community engagement.
Prior to relocating to California, Sheba served as the Senior International Trade Manager for Louisiana Economic Development where she was responsible for redevelopment of the state’s export promotion & international trade program and also focused on 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 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 the establishment and growth of businesses 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 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, or
Laurie Parish at parishlaurie1@gmail.com.