This Louisville economic development leader is taking the top job at a national 'Do Tank'

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Local economic development leader and ex-Louisville Forward chief Mary Ellen Wiederwohl is stepping into the top role at a national think tank founded by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, according to a Wednesday announcement.

Accelerator for America announced it has appointed Wiederwohl as president and CEO starting Jan. 1, 2022, with current president and CEO Aaron Thomas embarking on a new role in the private sector.

The group was founded in 2017 by Garcetti, the Los Angeles mayor whom President Joe Biden has also tapped to serve as U.S. ambassador to India.

According to a news release, Garcetti founded Accelerator for America as a “Do Tank” that "finds and develops models to build community wealth and that creates tools to help local governments best invest significant influxes of funding, such as the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act."

"The Accelerator’s economic development tools have been used by more than 75 cities nationwide and the organization has helped localities generate $40 billion in infrastructure funding independent of federal investment," the news release announcing Wiederwohl's appointment said. "It also quickly pivoted to help cities respond to COVID-19, including the development of a rapid cash assistance model implemented by cities and state governments nationwide."

The advisory council at Accelerator for America also includes mayors, labor leaders, CEOs and nonprofit executives from across the country.

Wiederwohl joined Mayor Greg Fischer's administration in 2012, serving as economic development chief and then as head of Louisville Forward from 2014 to 2020.

Since August, Wiederwohl has served as interim president and CEO of LHOME, or the Louisville Housing Opportunities and Micro-Enterprise Community Development Loan Fund Inc., which supports low-income small businesses.

Wiederwohl, 47, told The Courier Journal she represented Louisville as an informal member of Accelerator for America's advisory council for a few years before joining the group's governance board earlier this year.

When the executive position opened up at Accelerator for America, Wiederwohl, who said she had been mulling a 2022 run for Louisville mayor up until this summer, decided to throw her hat into the ring to become president and CEO.

"Instead of being mayor, I thought why not help a bunch of mayors and their cities," Wiederwohl said Wednesday.

With Accelerator for America, three things Wiederwohl said she is focused on moving forward are helping cities implement the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill signed by Biden in November, "monitoring" the Build Back Better plan to ensure it takes aim at economic insecurity and wealth building, and implementing "policies and strategies around place and people."

That last goal, she said, focuses in particular on workforce development and giving residents in cities of various sizes the skills to take advantage of new jobs and economic development.

"The challenges in one city are almost always the problems in all of our cities," Wiederwohl said. "You end up with wonderful shared experiences and best practices. I’ve always been fond of saying there are very few original ideas left, just stolen ones."

She said she will work remotely from Louisville in her new role with the Los Angeles-based Accelerator for America, though she suspects she'll "be spending more time at SDF," or Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.

"Louisville is home, and I will stay close to the work I do in the community," Wiederwohl said.

LHOME is in the process of searching for a permanent leader, Wiederwohl said.

"Serving as interim CEO at LHOME has been a deeply meaningful chapter in my career; Louisville needs a strong, local CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) to provide equitable access to capital, and I’m honored to have helped lead this important work," she said. "As I move into my new national role, you can be sure that I’ll be staying close to LHOME to both ensure a smooth transition to long-term leadership and advance the many opportunities we have been working on in 2021. LHOME has a very bright future."

Garcetti said in the news release announcing Wiederwohl's appointment that as "we work to shape federal policy to help our communities from the top down, America’s cities must work together to help each other and create national change from the ground up."

"That’s what the Accelerator is all about," Garcetti said. "I’ve known Mary Ellen since the Accelerator’s founding, and I cannot think of a better leader to advance its mission and build true community wealth in cities all across America."

Fischer, also the immediate past president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said in Wednesday's news release that Accelerator for America is "fortunate to have Mary Ellen serve as its CEO, and so are my fellow mayors."

"Now, cities all across America will benefit from the strategic vision, innovative spirit and hard work that Mary Ellen brought to the people of Louisville," Fischer said. "Mary Ellen’s unique set of skills includes years of local and national policy expertise combined with leading Louisville’s national award-winning economic development and built environment efforts."

In her time with Fischer's administration, Wiederwohl also served as the mayor's deputy chief of staff and chief of strategic initiatives, leading the Vision Louisville 25-year advanced plan, the Move Louisville multimodal transportation plan and Sustain Louisville, the city's first sustainability plan. Her work helped Louisville attract over $17 billion in investment and land over 300 job creation projects, according to the city.

Before joining Louisville Metro Government in 2012, Wiederwohl served in public and private sector advocacy roles. She earned bachelor's degrees in music and political science as well as a master's degree in political science from the University of Louisville.

Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com.