Mayor Bynum Selects Erran Persley as City of Tulsa Economic Development Director

2/27/2024

Mayor Bynum has selected Erran Persley to serve as the City of Tulsa’s new Economic Development Director.

Persley, a Kentucky native, will start his new role at the City of Tulsa by the first week in April 2024. Persley has more than 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors with a focus in economic development, foreign direct investment, international trade and small business consulting. 

As Economic Development Director, Persley will serve as the lead facilitator between the city government and economic development partners such as the Tulsa Regional Chamber and the Tulsa Authority of Economic Opportunity (PartnerTulsa) to ensure the City of Tulsa’s economic goals are achieved.

 “Erran brings a vast amount of experience to Tulsa and I’m excited to have him join our team during a time when we are seeing the biggest period of investment in our city’s history,” Mayor G.T.  Bynum said. “With strong technical knowledge, excellent communication skills and a career focus on international trade, I am confident Erran will help take our economic development efforts in Tulsa to new heights.”

Part of Persley’s role will serve in the development of economic development short and long-term goals, objectives, and policies and priorities for the City of Tulsa while also acting as an ombudsman to the local business community.

 “I am grateful to Mayor Bynum for the opportunity to be part of his team and serve the citizens of Tulsa,” Persley said. “Under Mayor Bynum’s leadership, Tulsa has made tremendous strides, and the city is on an upward trajectory. I’m excited to be part of assisting with the current economic developments while working hard to attract new investments and good jobs into the city. I’m ready to work with the Mayor, our economic development partners and stakeholders throughout the city and region to continue the goal of meeting the high expectations for Tulsans.”

Early in his career, Persley worked in various roles with U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington D.C. surrounding international trade and project management. Persley then spent more than seven years as a Data Dissemination Specialist assisting governors, state legislators and businesses on how to use census data to make business and policy decisions.

Following his work in Washington D.C. as a Foreign Direct Investment Advisor to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Erran was recruited back to his home state in 2018 by the governor of Kentucky where he was tasked with leading the state’s economic development team. Under his tenure, Persley and his team managed $22 billion in new investments and facilitated the creation of more than 55,000 new jobs in the state of Kentucky. During that time, Persley was a key figure in creating an environment for international investment attraction where he helped to pave the way for Kentucky to become one of the leading states for electric vehicle battery manufacturing in America. 

Persley will be leaving his current role as Managing Partner for Euphrates International Investment Company in Lexington, Kentucky, where he is responsible for overseeing new business development and foreign direct investment opportunities.

Persley holds an MBA from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Howard University.