Judy McKinney-Cherry, CEcD, FM

Principal
New Growth Strategies
Clayton, DE


Judy McKinney-Cherry is the Executive Director the Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development (SCOPED) and CEO/CFO for the Schuyler County Industrial Development Agency. Ms. McKinney Cherry has experience working in the private sector, public sector and university settings with over 30 years of business and executive management experience. Ms. McKinney Cherry was appointed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council in 2015, is passionate about regionalism and regularly contributes her expertise to other New York communities seeking to employ innovation and best practices. McKinney Cherry is a supplemental professional for the University of Delaware Center for Applied Demographics and Survey Research (CADSR) where she provides subject matter expertise for economic development-related publications.

McKinney-Cherry has worked in a state executive department under 5 different Governors, spending six years serving as the Cabinet Secretary for the Delaware State Economic Development Office and was the first female to be confirmed in that position by the Delaware Senate. Before joining the State Economic Development Office in 2002, McKinney-Cherry worked for 9 years in leadership positions for a national information technology services firm. In these roles, McKinney-Cherry was responsible for operations, executive-level sales, and profitability. Prior to her private sector role, she worked in the state economic development department research division, provided economic analysis, site selection information and led the State Data Center program.

In New York, she also holds board seats on the 3 county WIOA Board where she serves on the executive committee; as well as board seats on regional planning council, Watkins Glen Area Chamber, regional lending organizations, Locate Finger lakes!, Central Southern Tier Health Alliance, and the Erie Canal Heritage Fund Board where she is a member of the Executive Committee. She currently serves on the International Economic Development Council AEDO Accreditation and Sustainability Committees.

During her tenure in New York, Ms. McKinney Cherry was involved with the $500 million Upstate Revitalization Initiative grant award for the Southern Tier region and has been instrumental in attracting over $40 million in grants and private investment to the community of 18,000 residents. She is the Co-Chair of the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative effort and was instrumental in the effort to win the award for Watkins Glen, New York. Judy also serves on the I-86 Steering Committee and leads the Project Seneca waterfront revitalization effort in Schuyler County.

Under Judy McKinney-Cherry, the Delaware Economic Development Office (DEDO) became recognized nationally as innovative, performance-driven, and a best-of-breed economic development organization. The tourism website received three national and international awards and the first international TV marketing program under taken by the State. Another first under McKinney-Cherry, Delaware received all AAA’s on the Corporation for Enterprise Development Report Card for state economic development (since inception 1985). Her innovation and creativeness led to the precedent-setting high technology business creation program using commercializable intellectual property donated by Delaware corporations. period. In 2008, the DEDO was awarded the AEDO accreditation by the International Economic Development Council. The Delaware Economic Development Office was only the second state economic development organization to earn this certification.

She was awarded the IEDC Fellow Member award in 2018, Rotary International Foundation Paul Harris Fellow (2017) and served on the Watkins Glen Montour Falls Rotary Board from 2016-2018. Served on the Board of Directors for the International Economic Development Council.