Howard County Executive Calvin Ball has appointed Jennifer Jones as the new CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority. She will begin her new job on July 5. The HCEDA Board of Directors unanimously approved Jones’s appointment as she takes over for Larry Twele, who is retiring June 30.
Jones brings more than 20 years of experience to the role. She most recently served as business development strategist for Ball. In that capacity, Jones advised on economic development matters, held more than a dozen business roundtables to understand and address challenges, and implemented entrepreneurship and small business initiatives.
Jones is involved with many county organizations, including the Howard County Tourism Board, Columbia Festival of the Arts, Howard County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Downtown Columbia Partnership and the Howard County Center of African American Culture.
Much of Twele’s decade-long tenure as CEO was prosperous. He oversaw the retention and creation of nearly 25,000 jobs and facilitated a capital investment of more than $1.2 billion, allowing the HCEDA to expand facilities by more than 10 million square feet.