IEDC chief makes new hire for his leadership team

Brad Chambers

Indiana’s new secretary of commerce is building his roster.

Secretary Brad Chambers, appointed in June by Gov. Eric Holcomb to lead the Indiana Economic Development Corp., has made a new hire for his leadership team.

David Rosenberg last week was named executive vice president of IEDC. Rosenberg will work directly with Chambers and will oversee several strategic initiatives, most notably the $500 million Indiana Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative, also known as the READI regional grant program.

Rosenberg also will focus on economic development priorities aimed at building the economy and the workforce of the future.

Rosenberg most recently served as vice president of operations for Market Street Group, a locally owned consulting and advisory firm. He previously worked as former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard’s chief of staff and director of enterprise development.

“His past experience has prepared him well for this role, and I look forward to collaborating with him and the rest of the team in continuing to make Indiana the best place to do business,” Chambers said in a written statement.

Rosenberg’s hire follows a couple of IEDC-related departures, including former IEDC Chief of Staff Luke Bosso and former Secretary of Career Connections and Talent Blair Milo.

Bosso this month took a job as managing director of government consulting at Katz, Sapper & Miller, after working more than six years in state government. Bosso was was the right-hand man for former Commerce Secretary Jim Schellinger, who abruptly resigned from the IEDC in March.

“It was an honor to serve in the Holcomb administration,” Bosso said in an emailed statement to IBJ, “and I am proud of the administration’s many accomplishments during my tenure. I am equally excited to join Katz, Sapper & Miller. KSM has a well-deserved reputation for excellence, and I am really looking forward to leveraging my skills with such an exceptional firm.”

Milo left state government in June, after four years as the secretary of career connections and talent, a role created by Holcomb in 2017. Milo led the 21st Century Talent Regions initiative, resulting in 80 Indiana counties forming 14 regions to plan and implement strategies for attracting, developing, and connecting talent.

Earlier this year, the Office of Career Connections and Talent was integrated into IEDC, and a replacement for Milo has not been named. Milo now serves as the founding director for the Center for Talent and Opportunity at the Sagamore Institute.

Chambers declined an interview with IBJ to discuss plans for his leadership team. An IEDC spokesperson said Chambers wants to wait until he’s been in office for at least 90 days before giving a one-on-one interview to a journalist.

In a June interview with Nate Feltman, publisher and CEO of IBJ, Chambers said he expects the state will take a “more qualitative” approach to business attraction and retention during his tenure.

He noted IEDC may lean more into the $500 million READI program to focus on placemaking and developing communities where people want to live and work.

IBJ’s Mickey Shuey contributed to this report.