2018 Speaker of the Year for the Anthem Financial Club
Barbra Coffee, Henderson’s Director of Economic Development
Barbra serves as the Director of Economic Development/Tourism for the City of Henderson. She is responsible for the city’s economic development and tourism strategy, which includes local business retention and expansion programs, business and tourism attraction, small business and entrepreneurial development. In addition, Coffee oversees the city's destination marketing efforts and the Henderson Convention Center operations.
Before starting with the city in June 2013, Barbra was the Economic Development Director for the city of College Park, Ga. While director, she oversaw the development of more than 200 acres of city-owned property and coordinated the activities of the College Park Business and Industrial Development Authority, focusing many of her efforts on downtown redevelopment and corridor revitalization.
Barbra has also managed economic development for several other municipalities. From 2003-2009, Barbra held numerous positions while coordinating and implementing several different redevelopment strategies for the city of Goodyear, Ariz. Her career in Goodyear culminated as a Senior Development Manager for their Economic Development Department, where she coordinated business recruitment and marketing efforts for the city. Prior to her time in Arizona, Barbra was involved in the revitalization efforts of downtown Houston and the Main Street Project of Marlin, Texas.
Barbra actively participates in several international and national organizations that focus on key aspects of economic development and redevelopment. In 2003, she joined the International Council of Shopping Centers and from 2011-2013 served as their Georgia State Alliance Co-Chair. In addition, she is a member of NAIOP and the Urban Land Institute.
She received her Bachelor of Science in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990, followed by a Master of Liberal Arts in International Studies from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. In 20098, she earned her Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation from the International Development Council and attained her Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) credential from the National Development Council in 2012.