Meet team EDC.

Mark Cafferty

Mark Cafferty

President & CEO

Read Bio

Mark Cafferty

President & CEO

Mark Cafferty

As president and chief executive officer of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, Mark Cafferty sits at the center of a unique collaboration of business, trade, community, and education leaders who have redefined the region’s economic development strategy, cementing the region as a key stakeholder in the global economy.

Cafferty has spent more than 20 years designing systems to support career advancement and economic opportunity for American workers. He has served in numerous public-sector leadership positions and has been sought as a consultant on workforce development efforts throughout the country.

Over the last few years, Cafferty was asked to chair San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s Workforce and Economic Advisory Committee, and was appointed to serve on Governor Jerry Brown’s International Trade and Investment Advisory Council.

Cafferty has been recognized regularly by local publications like the San Diego Business Journal, SD Metro, The Daily Transcript, and U-T San Diego. He has been quoted in the New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek and the Los Angeles Times.

A Boston native who now considers San Diego home, he earned his bachelor’s in marketing and communications from Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., and his advanced certification in Performance Measurement and Non-Profit Management from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 2007, Cafferty was selected as a Center for Social Innovation Fellow for International Non-Profit Leaders at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

He resides in San Diego’s Point Loma neighborhood with his amazing wife Charlene Kakimoto and their beautiful sons Kai and Quinn. Charlene is a dermatologist and former lieutenant commander with the United States Navy.

Catherine DeYoung

Catherine DeYoung

Executive Assistant to Mark Cafferty

Lauree Sahba

Lauree Sahba

Chief Operating Officer

Nikia Clarke

Nikia Clarke

Senior Vice President; Executive Director, World Trade Center San Diego

Read Bio

Nikia Clarke

Senior Vice President; Executive Director, World Trade Center San Diego

Nikia Clarke

Dr. Nikia Clarke is Senior Vice President of San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC), and Executive Director of World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD), an EDC affiliate. She oversees the economic development, research, and global engagement priorities of the organization. Clarke sits on the National Investment Advisory Council, a collection of senior leaders that advises the administration on FDI policy and strategy, and is founder and former Director of OUCAN, an international network of emerging market industry leaders, policy makers and researchers. She also serves on the Board of the International Business program at San Diego State University, and the San Diego Innovation Council. She holds a BA from Loyola Marymount University, an MPhil from Cambridge University, and a PhD from Oxford University.

Jennifer Henry Storm

Jennifer Henry Storm

Executive Director, Foundation

Eduardo Velasquez

Eduardo Velasquez

Sr. Director, Research & Economic Development

Bree Burris

Bree Burris

Director, Marketing & Communications

Lucas Coleman

Lucas Coleman

Director, World Trade Center San Diego

Taylor Dunne

Taylor Dunne

Director, Talent Initiatives

Ashley Swartout

Ashley Swartout

Director, Human Resources

Teddy Martinez

Teddy Martinez

Sr. Manager, Research

Lindsey Silvia

Lindsey Silvia

Sr. Manager, Economic Development

Heather Dewis

Heather Dewis

Manager, Marketing

Emily Irion

Emily Irion

Manager, Economic Development

Caroline Murray

Caroline Murray

Manager, World Trade Center San Diego

Sophia Antonopoulos

Sophia Antonopoulos

Coordinator, World Trade Center San Diego

Olivia Jones

Olivia Jones

Coordinator, Talent Initiatives

Liz Muthoni

Liz Muthoni

Coordinator, Investor Relations & Marketing

Sofia Nelson-Ferezi

Sofia Nelson-Ferezi

Coordinator, Research

Sang Nguyen

Sang Nguyen

Coordinator, Research

Rebecca Schulert

Rebecca Schulert

Coordinator, Economic Development

Kyle Winnick

Kyle Winnick

Coordinator, Marketing

Janae Dumas

Janae Dumas

Administrative Coordinator

Want to join the team?

Check out our open full-time positions, or our part-time paid intern program.