Paul Ellis, CEcD, AICP

Director of Economic Development
City of Fairview Heights
Fairview Heights, IL

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Paul Ellis has shepherded projects resulting in millions of dollars in private investment. As Director of Economic Development for the City of Fairview Heights, he currently oversees the largest retail center in Illinois south of Chicagoland.

Previously, Ellis served as President for the Jacksonville Regional Economic Development Corporation, a public/private corporation serving two counties in Central Illinois. Prior to that, Ellis was Director of Community & Economic Development for the City of Columbia (Illinois), where he helped expand the city’s commercial base and founded the Monroe County Economic Development Corporation. Prior to Columbia, Ellis served for more than two decades with the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, where he coordinated a regional transportation partnership, organized a technology consortium and an angel investment network, and ran a downtown business improvement district.

Ellis was recognized in 2013 by the East West Gateway Council of Governments with an Outstanding Local Government Award (OLGA) for accomplishment as a local government official. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and a Certified Economic Developer through the International Economic Development Council (IEDC)—one of only 48 professionals nationwide who are dually certified by both professional groups.