Longtime Partners board member Jay Williams will face the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works next Tuesday (12/17) as he seeks Senate confirmation to head the Economic Development Administration (EDA), a federal agency institutionally housed within the U.S. Department of Commerce. The EDA is tasked with leading the federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and collaboration and by helping communities build the foundation for long-term growth.

President Barack Obama nominated Williams, the former mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, on September 10. Mr. Williams is presently serving as the President's so-called "car czar", as the exective director of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers. He recently completeed a one-year appointment as deputy director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, working with local public officials on behalf of the White House. Williams continued in his capacity as the President's point person on the auto industry throughout the other appointment and as he awaits Senate confirmation.

If the committee recommends that Williams be confirmed, a vote by the full Senate could occur as soon as next week; otherwise, the vote would likely be held in January.

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