Strategic Consultant

Jennifer Vernon

Jennifer leverages nearly 20 years of experience in economic development, operations, marketing, and research to help energize communities and organizations about their future. She specializes in guiding organizations on paths toward excellence.

Over the course of her consulting career, Jennifer has developed comprehensive community and economic development strategies for cities, counties, and regions. She has assessed and developed organizational strategies, ecosystem alignments, recovery strategies, marketing plans, investment guidelines, and talent alignment initiatives to serve a variety of clients. She has worked nationwide to include communities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.

The majority of Jennifer’s career has been spent in investor-based economic development organizations. Through that perspective, she has the keen ability to intuit client needs and then leverage resources and develop strategies to best satisfy those needs. In her previous role, Jennifer and her team led the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in developing its transformative new strategy.

Her former experience includes serving as a senior manager at EY where she and her team were charged with scaling up a national practice for economic development. Prior to EY, she was a senior consultant at Avalanche Consulting and led global marketing, strategy, and operations for the Upstate SC Alliance, a 10-county regional economic development organization representing the Greenville-Spartanburg area. She also worked to promote international trade resources in her home state of Mississippi.

My mission is to empower leaders to reignite the passion and purpose within their communities, inspiring them to envision a vibrant future and the pivotal role their organizations play in its transformation.

Education

  • The University of Southern Mississippi, B.S.B.A in International Business, 2003

  • The University of Oklahoma, Economic Development Institute, 2009

  • EY Aspire Leadership Program, 2021-2023

  • Mindful Leadership at EY, Cohort 20, 2020

Community Involvement

  • Economic Development Association of Alabama

  • International Economic Development Council

  • Leadership Greenville, Class 39

Lawyers on a mission.