WNMU hosts one of 19 nationally certified economic development courses
WNMU hosted one of 19 nationally certified basic economic development courses, drawing regional leaders to Silver City for a week of professional training.
Week-long Silver City program brought together municipal, tribal and regional leaders for training in workforce development, business retention, real estate, AI and economic strategy
Organ Mountain News report
SILVER CITY - Western New Mexico University hosted regional planners, tribal leaders, municipal managers and economic developers in July for a week-long professional development course focused on job creation, business growth and regional economic strategy.
The Basic Economic Development course, held July 13–17 at WNMU’s Besse-Forward Global Resource Center, is one of 19 such programs nationwide certified by the International Economic Development Council.
The course serves as an entry point toward the Certified Economic Developer credential and focused on practical economic development strategies through case studies and applied training.
Participants studied community assessment, business retention and recruitment, workforce development, statistical research, ethics, real estate, tourism and financial deal structuring.
The curriculum also included sessions on artificial intelligence in economic modeling and border-zone economics.
“We hosted a fantastic cross-section of participants from across the state,” Course Director Noreen Scott said in a news release. “About half were taking the first step toward professional certification, while the remaining participants representing local communities wanted to deepen their economic development knowledge.”
Scott said WNMU has offered the course since 1991.
Organ Mountain News
The program was sponsored by the WNMU Foundation and Freeport-McMoRan.
Tuesday’s sessions focused on organizational management, workforce development and statistical research methods. Midweek programming included ethics, operational tools and technical methods, while later sessions covered real estate, strategic planning, financial structuring and tourism.
Participants also attended a dinner session focused on working with state legislators and an evening networking reception.
“Economic development is at the heart of building resilient, forward-looking communities,” WNMU business professor Miguel Vicens said. “Providing local leaders with access to top-tier, internationally certified training ensures New Mexico remains competitive and prepared for strategic economic growth.”
The course concluded with program evaluations and a graduation ceremony.
Scott said the certification track helps professionals demonstrate familiarity with industry standards, ethics and terminology used by site selectors, corporate real estate firms and economic development consultants.
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