In March of 2015, Erik Caldwell was appointed as Director of the City of San Diego’s newly created Economic Development. The department is focused on strengthening communities by establishing strategic partnerships which cultivate a sustainable, dynamic economy and create community development opportunities. Under Mr. Caldwell’s leadership, the Department supports the continued growth of San Diego’s established analytics, cleantech, cyber security, defense, life science, and maritime industry clusters. The department is also charged with leading the City’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint by 50% and power the City’s buildings and homes with 100% clean energy by 2035.

Prior to joining the City, Mr. Caldwell served as Vice-President of Government Partnerships for a San Diego-based clean energy financing company. Mr. Caldwell’s experience also includes a long career in public policy, having advised elected officials at the City of San Diego, County of San Diego, California State Board of Equalization, and California State Assembly.

Mr. Caldwell previously worked for the City of San Diego as Deputy Director of Policy to former San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. In this capacity, he was responsible for the implementation of the Mayor’s economic development strategy and leading the City’s efforts to support the region’s innovation economy.

Twitter: @erikcaldwell