Steve Vierck, CEcD, is the President/CEO of the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance (MVEDA), a regional public-private partnership based in Las Cruces.

An economic development professional with over 20-years of experience at the state, regional, and community levels, he previously served for five years as Senior Vice President for the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC).

He is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a B.S.B.A. degree in Regional Development and a Master of Arts degree in Geography. He has earned the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation from the American Economic Development Council. He recently received the prestigious William Lampkin Award for Long-Term Excellence in Economic Development from the Arizona Association for Economic Development.

In September, 2005, Steve was named “Economic Developer of the Year” at Governor Bill Richardson’s Summit on Economic Development.

Les Baldock, MVEDA Operations Manager, is a native New Mexican. Following a successful career in small business, Les relocated to Las Cruces in 1993. He spent 5-years with the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce as Director of Business Services and joined the MVEDA staff in June, 2000. He is a member of the New Mexico Industrial Development Executives (NMIDEA) and manages a number of special projects for MVEDA.

Fred Shepherd, MVEDA Business Development Manager, is a native of Utah who moved to Las Cruces in May of 2003 and shortly thereafter joined MVEDA as a Research Analyst. He has since been promoted to Business Development Manager and has assisted a number of companies that have recently expanded or relocated to Southern New Mexico such as D.A. Inc, VMC, Northwire, and Sitel. Fred has completed all of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute courses and plans to take the exam to earn the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation.

Jaclyn AaronsCooke, MVEDA Research Analyst, is a native of California. She received her degree in Economics from New Mexico State University in May, 2005 and joined the MVEDA staff in November, 2005. Jaclyn develops custom proposal packets and operating cost comparisons for prospective companies. She is also planning to take the exam for the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) after completing the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute courses.

Sandi Metz, MVEDA Executive Assistant, is a California native. In addition to managing Steve’s busy schedule, Sandi is also the office travel and special events coordinator. She brings 30-years of experience in federal government service, working with the military and the Department of Defense and joined MVEDA in July 2004..