Prosper Portland has chosen Cornell Wesley, a senior economic development official from Birmingham, Alabama, to serve as its new executive director. This decision comes after a challenging budget season and the resignation of the agency’s interim executive director, which followed the release of internal communications that sparked controversy. The Prosper Portland board of commissioners is scheduled to vote on Wesley’s appointment publicly on July 9.
Wesley confirmed in a phone interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive that he has accepted the position in Portland, where his wife was born and raised. He expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity, stating, “Broadly speaking, we’re always excited about new challenges and new opportunities to be impactful. I have a heart for this line of work.”
Prosper leadership and Mayor Keith Wilson verified the selection of Wesley after the news was initially reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive. A spokesperson for the agency mentioned that if the board confirms the appointment, Wesley will begin his role in August. Mayor Wilson expressed his anticipation for working with Wesley, saying, “I am confident that he brings the expertise and insight that Portland needs in this moment. Working together, we can revitalize our economy and realize an economic renaissance for Portland.”
Wesley currently serves as the director of the Birmingham Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity, a department of approximately a dozen people whose mission aligns closely with Prosper’s focus on business retention and real estate management. His professional background includes experience in both the private and public sectors, notably in banking and at the Economic Development Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Prosper Board Chair Gustavo Cruz expressed excitement about Wesley joining the team, stating, “I am confident that he will continue to build on the momentum we’re seeing on projects throughout the city.”
Earlier this year, a proposal by City Council members Mitch Green and Jamie Dunphy to cut $11 million from Prosper’s budget prompted interim Executive Director Shea Flaherty Betin to urge supporters to lobby against the proposal, warning it would severely impact the agency’s long-term program funding. During a budget meeting later that month, Prosper staff expressed strong opposition to the City Council in a Teams chat, which led Mayor Wilson to request Flaherty Betin’s resignation. Flaherty Betin ultimately decided to leave the agency, receiving a severance package of $213,000.
In early June, Prosper’s five-member board of commissioners appointed agency veteran Lisa Abuaf as the new interim executive director until the permanent leader, whose identity was kept confidential at the time, begins in the summer. The agency’s previous permanent director was Kimberly Branam, who left in September for a position at the Port of Portland.
Wesley expressed his enthusiasm about joining Prosper Portland, stating, “I look forward to working alongside such a dedicated team of leaders and staff who are absolutely committed to realizing inclusive economic growth for all Portlanders.”
— news from OregonLive.com
— News Original —
Prosper Portland selects Alabama economic development official as next leader
Prosper Portland has tapped a high-ranking economic development official from Birmingham, Alabama, to become its new executive director.
Cornell Wesley would assume leadership of Portland’s economic development agency as it tries to find its footing after a fraught budget season, and the release of impolitic internal messages among agency staffers, that culminated in the resignation of its interim executive director. Prosper Portland’s board of commissioners is expected to publicly vote on Wesley’s appointment on July 9.
Reached by phone, Wesley confirmed to The Oregonian/OregonLive he had accepted the job in Portland, where his wife was born and raised.
“Broadly speaking, we’re always excited about new challenges and new opportunities to be impactful,” Wesley said. “I have a heart for this line of work.”
Prosper leadership and Mayor Keith Wilson confirmed the Wesley pick after The Oregonian/OregonLive first reported the news Friday evening. An agency spokesperson said that if confirmed by the Prosper board, Wesley would start work in August.
“I am looking forward to begin working with Cornell,” Wilson told the newsroom in a statement. “I am confident that he brings the expertise and insight that Portland needs in this moment. Working together, we can revitalize our economy and realize an economic renaissance for Portland.”
Wesley is the director of the Birmingham Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity, a department of about a dozen people whose work aligns largely with Prosper’s mission of business retention and real estate management.
His resume includes work in the private and public sectors, including in banking and at the Economic Development Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“We are delighted to have Cornell join Prosper Portland, and are excited about the energy, vision, and experience he will bring to the agency, and our city,” Prosper Board Chair Gustavo Cruz noted in a statement. “I am confident that he will continue to build on the momentum we’re seeing on projects throughout the city.”
A proposal by City Council members Mitch Green and Jamie Dunphy to strip Prosper of an $11 million budget allocation prompted interim Executive Director Shea Flaherty Betin in May to urge agency supporters to lobby against the proposal, arguing it would “decimate” Prosper’s long-term program funding.
When the proposal came up for a vote during a budget meeting later that month, Prosper staff railed against the City Council in a agencywide Teams chat, copies of the messages revealed.
Those messages pushed the mayor to request that Flaherty Betin step down from his role leading Prosper, and Flaherty Betin decided to leave the agency altogether, with severance of $213,000.
Prosper’s five-member board of commissioners in early June voted to install agency veteran Lisa Abuaf as the new interim executive director until the permanent leader, whose name was secret at the time, started in the summer. The agency’s last permanent director was Kimberly Branam, who decamped in September for a job at the Port of Portland.
“I am thrilled to be joining Prosper Portland at such a pivotal time for the city,” Wesley said in an emailed statement. “I look forward to working alongside such a dedicated team of leaders and staff who are absolutely committed to realizing inclusive economic growth for all Portlanders.”