Don formerly served as President & CEO of Jakeway & Associates, LLC, a national and international economic development consulting company for the last 40 years, providing a wide array of professional economic development services to both public and private sector clients. He has served as Deputy City Manager for Economic Development and Capital Investment for Arlington, Texas, located in the Dallas / Fort Worth Metro-plex area and prior to that position, he was President & CEO of the Brooks Development Authority (BDA) and the Brooks City-Base Foundation in San Antonio, Texas. He was also the President & CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the President & CEO of the Regional Growth Partnership in Toledo, Ohio.
Don served in the cabinet of former Ohio Governor George V. Voinovich as the Director of the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) from 1991 - 1998. This $1.5 billion agency was named one of the 'Top 10 Economic Development Agencies in the World' for three straight years by “Site Selection Magazine.” Don holds the distinction of leading both a public (State of Ohio) and private (State of Michigan) statewide economic development organization.
Other career opportunities have included: Director of Economic Development for the cities of Sarasota, Florida and Lakewood, Ohio. Don was Director of the Cleveland IMPACT Cities Program associated with the National Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) in Cleveland, Ohio. He was also a National Sales & Marketing Associate with the Procter & Gamble Company. He was President of both the Ohio and Florida Chapters of “Citizens for America” a national grass-roots lobbying organization founded by President Ronald Reagan who embraced the national defense and economic development initiatives during his Administration.
Don served 12 years on the Board of Directors of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and was presented the “Lifetime Leadership Award for Public Service” and the “Lifetime Achievement in Economic Development” awards. He has also been designated an IEDC “Fellow Member – FM.”
He has served for over 34 years on the Board of Directors of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, located in Canton, Ohio and was recently appointed to the Board in an Emeritus position. Don was recently appointed as Commissioner of the Ohio Exposition Center & Ohio State Fair Board of Directors. He also serves as the Co-Chair of the International Churchill Society - South Texas, a chapter of the International Churchill Society and Churchill Museum - Cabinet War Rooms - London. There currently exists an educational scholarship in the name of “Alice and Donald Jakeway” at Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio, TX.
Don’s educational background includes: Bachelor’s in Science, Ashland University; Master of Business Administration (MBA), University of Sarasota; Senior Executive Institute, University of Virginia; Governors Center, Duke University; Economic Development Finance Certification, Community Development Training Institute; Commercial Revitalization Certification, Ohio State University and Public Administration Certification, Florida Institute of Government.
