FRANKLIN, Pa. – Venango County Commissioners have announced that Emily Lewis has been named Executive Director of the newly-formed Venango County Economic Development Authority.

Lewis will lead the county’s new economic development authority with an eye on building relationships among local governments and non-profit agencies to spur greater economic and community development throughout Venango County and the surrounding region.

“I’m excited for the opportunity and optimistic about the future,” said Lewis. “I’m looking forward to continuing to build relationships with existing business owners to support their growth while ensuring that we are making the right investments to develop the area as an attractive destination for businesses and individuals.”

“Emily has the full support and confidence of the commissioner’s board in her new position as Executive Director of the Venango County Economic Development Authority,” said Tim Brooks, Chairman of the Venango County Board of Commissioners.

“We look forward to the fresh and dynamic viewpoint that Emily will bring to economic development, not just in Venango County, but the entire Oil Region.”

Venango County Commissioners voted to officially create the county authority at their December 12th public meeting.

The authority will consist of a seven-member board with seats held by Venango County Commissioners Brooks, Vince Witherup, and Albert “Chip” Abramovic. The remaining seats will be held by local business owner Rod Griffin, representing the Franklin Industrial Commercial Development Authority (FICDA); Oil City Mayor Bill Moon, representing the Oil Region Alliance; local banker, John Stiller, representing the Oil City Redevelopment Authority; and former county commissioner, Bonnie Summers, representing the Cranberry Economic Development Committee.

Lewis has an array of experience in county government and local development projects. She has spent the last four years with the Venango County Regional Planning Commission, where she most recently worked as the Deputy Director of County Planning. In this position, the graduate of Slippery Rock University and Franklin native, was instrumental in the development of the Venango County Multimodal Facility, the Sandycreek Industrial Park expansion, the concept development for the Venango County Business Innovation Center, and the continued development of the county’s fiber-optic network.