Cotterill to Serve as General Counsel for IEDC
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowPublic finance attorney Chris Cotterill has joined Indiana's Economic Development Corp. as General Counsel. He is the former chief of staff for Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard.
January 5, 2015
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Chris W. Cotterill, the former chief of staff for the city of Indianapolis and an attorney specializing in public-private partnerships, will serve as general counsel for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC).
“For our new general counsel, we need someone who can help us operate at the speed of business,” said Victor Smith, Indiana Secretary of Commerce. “That’s exactly who we have with Chris Cotterill. His expertise helping the public and private sectors work together to grow communities across Indiana is remarkable. This is an exciting time to be a Hoosier, with companies choosing at a record pace to invest in Indiana, assisted by a team at the IEDC that’s stronger today with Chris’s leadership.”
Cotterill began his career as a commercial litigation attorney before joining state government as general counsel of the Indiana Office of Technology, where he played a leading role in consolidating information technology services and managing the state’s website, IN.gov.
In 2008, Mayor Gregory A. Ballard appointed Cotterill to serve as the corporation counsel of Indianapolis and Marion County. In 2010, Cotterill was appointed chief of staff, where he led various government reform efforts and the city's $1.9 billion transfer of its utilities. Following the successful Super Bowl XLVI in 2012, Cotterill joined the law firm Faegre Baker Daniels LLP as a partner in the public finance group where he focused on public-private partnerships, utility transactions and state and local government reform.
“I am honored to serve in Governor Pence's administration and to join such a strong team at the IEDC,” said Cotterill. “Helping businesses grow here in Indiana is critical to increasing employment opportunities for Hoosiers and for communities across our state to prosper.”
A 1999 graduate of Wabash College and a 2002 graduate of the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University in Bloomington, Cotterill continues to serve on the board of Project Home Indy, a nonprofit that helps homeless teenage girls who are pregnant or parenting gain self-sufficiency.
Cotterill replaces Steve Akard, who was promoted in November to serve as the IEDC’s chief of staff. Akard joined the IEDC in 2005 as the director of international business development.
“Today companies are coming to Indiana from across the nation and around the world, and over the last decade, Steve Akard has been a vital part of the team that helped Indiana transform its business climate into the envy of the nation,” said Eric Doden, president of the IEDC. “The IEDC team continues to be dedicated to excellence. With Steve leading day-to-day operations and now with Chris stepping into the general counsel role, I can’t wait to see what Indiana’s future holds.”
Cotterill’s appointment comes on the heels of a record-breaking economic development year for Indiana. In 2014, the IEDC secured job commitments from 285 companies from across the country and around the world, which plan to invest $4.38 billion in their Indiana operations and create 25,317 new jobs in the coming years. Last year’s 285 companies is an increase from 261 companies in 2013 and more than any other year on record.About IEDC
Created in 2005 to replace the former Department of Commerce, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation is governed by a 12-member board chaired by Governor Mike Pence. Victor Smith serves as the Indiana Secretary of Commerce and Eric Doden is the president of the IEDC.
The IEDC oversees programs enacted by the General Assembly including tax credits, workforce training grants and public infrastructure assistance. All tax credits are performance-based. Therefore, companies must first invest in Indiana through job creation or capital investment before incentives are paid. A company who does not meet its full projections only receives a percentage of the incentives proportional to its actual investment. For more information about IEDC, visit www.iedc.in.gov.
Source: Indiana Economic Development Corporation