About Us
The Governor's Office of Economic Development serves to advise the Governor on policy issues related to economic development; lead the state's business recruitment, retention, expansion, and start-up efforts; and serves as the state's primary economic development liaison between federal, state, and local agencies, Montana tribal governments, private nonprofit economic development organizations and the private sector.
We work directly with Local Development Organizations, Certified Regional Development Corporations, and Tribes toward the retention, recruitment, and expansion of businesses. We help structure deals making maximum beneficial use of state programs and resources.
In the process, we also focus on workforce development, infrastructure development, technology development and permitting/regulatory issues. Additional areas of activity include economic development finance and tools, information tools, sector development, and cluster support.
The office is headed by the Chief Business Development Officer and two economic development specialists (project development/administration, workforce development, Indian development, energy development and value-added agriculture development) and an office manager/executive assistant.
Evan D. Barrett
Chief Business Development Officer
Evan D. Barrett, 65, was appointed by Governor Brian Schweitzer as Chief Business Development Officer –- head of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development -- in January, 2005 and has served the state and Governor Schweitzer since that time.
Prior to joining Governor Schweitzer, Barrett served for 18 years as Executive Director of the Butte Local Development Corporation, a highly successful local economic development organization. There he helped create and retain thousands of jobs and participated in some of Montana's largest industrial recruitment efforts. His activities as Legislative and Public Policy Chair for the Montana Economic Developers Association put him in the forefront of economic development policy in Montana from 1993 through 2004.
Between 1969 and 1986, Barrett assisted former Governor Forrest Anderson’s executive reorganization effort, served a stint as Executive Director of the Montana Democratic Party and held senior positions with Governor Thomas Judge, Congressman Pat Williams and U.S. Senator John Melcher. He also served 12 years on the Democratic National Committee, where he was vice chair of the western caucus.
Barrett is a graduate of Red Lodge High School. He attended Montana State University, St. John’s University where he received his bachelor’s degree in Government, and attended the University of Montana’s Graduate School in Political Science. Barrett and his wife Gail live on the Butte hill. He has three daughters, a son, two grandsons and a grand-daughter.
Pat Wise
Economic Development Specialist
Pat got her feet wet in workforce development as a councilor for at-risk youth in Helena in 1981. She went on to work with dislocated workers throughout Montana as the Director of the Montana State AFL-CIO’s Project Challenge: Work Again. Pat worked for ten years with a wide array of local, state and federal workforce development programs at the national AFL-CIO’s Working for America Institute where she served as a Disability Specialist and the Midwest Regional Coordinator for the Institute. In her capacity as a regional coordinator, she facilitated the development of state and regional partnerships between public programs, employers and organized labor to benefit dislocated workers in states from Michigan to Missouri. As the Executive Director of the California Labor Federation’s Workforce and Economic Development department, Pat coordinated the advancement of High Roads Partnerships providing skilled workers and training to employers throughout California. Just prior to coming to the Governor’s office, Pat worked for the Montana Nurses Association as its Labor Director.
Eric Stern
Senior Counsel to the Governor
Eric Stern is Governor Schweitzer's Senior Counsel, and also serves the Economic Development office as an advisor on energy and the environment. He has served as a top aide to the Governor since managing Mr. Schweitzer's first campaign for Governor in 2004. An environmental litigator by training, Eric grew up in the New York area and attended Columbia Law School and Connecticut College. He worked after college at CNN in Atlanta, and later in the Clinton Administration, as a political aide to the Vice President of the United States and also under the Secretary of Education. Eric has lived in Montana since 2001. He worked on non-profit environmental litigation and private consulting in Bozeman prior to joining Schweitzer's team, and was in the news for leading Mexico's bid to receive a Major League Baseball franchise.
Jackie Williams
Office Manager
Jackie Williams has joined the Governor’s Office of Economic Development as Executive Assistant and Office Manager. Prior to joining the Office of Economic Development she worked as Policy Advisor and Executive Assistant to Lt. Governor Bohlinger.
Jackie was born and raised in Conrad, Montana and received a B.S. in Political Science from Carroll College. She currently lives in East Helena.
