President of the Brazos Valley Economic Corporation

Susan Davenport is the President and CEO of Brazos Valley Economic Corporation. 

The Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation (BVEDC) is a public-private economic development corporation serving the citizens of Brazos County, Texas. Anchored by the Cities of Bryan and College Station and home to Texas A&M University, the Brazos Valley is a 21st century community that provides access to a highly-educated workforce, a low-cost business environment and a wonderful quality of life. It makes it one of the best places to launch, grow and locate your business. 

For the past five years, Ms. Davenport has led the creation and execution of a regional, domestic, and international economic development strategy for the 12-county greater Houston region. This strategy has resulted in the relocation of three Fortune 500 company global headquarters as well as hundreds of other companies to the area. Her efforts have resulted in thousands of new jobs and opportunities for regional residents.

Prior to Houston, Ms. Davenport served as President & CEO of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce in Florida. Earlier, Davenport spent 13 years as Senior Vice President of Global Tech Strategies at Opportunity Austin. During her tenure, Opportunity Austin is credited with the creation of 174,000 jobs and enhancing regional payrolls by $8.7 billion.

Ms. Davenport has also worked to retain or expand more than 500 employers and secured almost $100 million in grant funding for various companies through her work with Portfolio Austin, the Central Texas Regional Center for Innovation and Commercialization, the Greater Austin Technology Partnership, and Austin TechLive.

Ms. Davenport holds a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas Medical Branch. She is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma, and she is an active member of the International Economic Development Council.