James Harmon Clinton

Background

James Harmon Clinton was born on January 22, 1946 in Portia, Arkansas, United States to the family of James Harmon Clinton Sr. and Kathryn Ione Sears.

Education

Clinton graduated from the Hall High School at Little Rock, Arkansas in 1964. Previously studied at D.C. Everest High School, Schofield, Wisconsin. Clinton studied at Centenary College of Louisiana and Louisiana State University.

Career

James Clinton is President and Chief Executive Officer for the Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance (CLEDA), a non-profit organization dedicated to creating more and better economic opportunities in Central Louisiana. CLEDA focuses on business recruitment, retention and expansion; workforce development; entrepreneurial development and regional innovation. Jim was previously Chief Executive Officer for the Cenla Advantage Partnership, which merged with CLEDA in 2011.

Prior to coming to Alexandria in 2008, Clinton served as Executive Director of Southern Growth Policies Board, a thirteen-state alliance based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. During his time at Southern Growth, he was a lead author on publications such as Invented Here, The Mercedes and the Magnolia, The New Architecture of Rural Prosperity, Innovation with a Southern Accent, and Brave New South. He previously served as President of the Louisiana Partnership for Technology and Innovation and President of Gulf South Research Institute.

In Louisiana state government, Clinton was an Assistant Commissioner of Administration and Director of Contractual Review. He managed the Louisiana Superdome during its transition from public to private management. He was a lead author of the plan that consolidated Louisiana’s more than 250 agencies into 20 principal departments.

Clinton serves on the boards of directors of the Council for a Better Louisiana, National Policy Consensus Institute, and Louisiana Regional Leadership Council.

Clinton's book of verse, What Is Fair, was published by Louisiana State University Press. His poetry, criticism and essays have been published regionally and nationally.

Achievements

• James Harmon Clinton has managed to build a successful career as an economic development figure. He's achieved a great respect acknowledgment of the colleagues. He is also a published poet whose works were warmly accepted by critics.

Works

More photos

• book

  • What Is Fair

    (A collection of poems which focus on the corners of James...)

    1997

Membership

• Louisiana Innovation Council , United States

• Louisiana State University Press Advisory Group , United States

• Central Louisiana Business Incubator Advisory Board , United States

• Metropolitan Young Men’s Christian Association , United States

• New Orleans Mayor's Economics Development Committee , New Orleans

  1991 - 1991

Personality

Other people describe Clinton as an able, thoughtful, creative leader, imaginative person.

Quotes from others about the person

• Rod Noles: "Jim's a scholar, he's a gentleman, and he's well connected throughout the United States. The community is lucky to land somebody with this much talent and this many contacts. Jim living here is going to make Central Louisiana a better place."
  
  Former Mississippi Governor William Winter: "Jim Clinton is one of the ablest, most thoughtful, most creative leaders in the South. I have had the privilege of being closely associated with him in the work of the Southern Growth Policies Board, and he has demonstrated there an inspired understanding of what the future of the South ought to look like. I keep a copy of his book "Is It Fair" on my desk. The name suggests what his values are. He is a truly remarkable man."
  
  Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry: "Jim Clinton is an economic development guru, a government policy genius, a published poet, and my dear friend. Cenla Advantage Partnership is very fortunate indeed to have won his services."
  
  Kettering Foundation President David Mathews: "Jim Clinton not only knows as much about economic development as anyone in the South, his skills as an imaginative administrator makes him a real catch for your partnership. Our research foundation is only one of many national organizations that have profited from working with Jim in the past and hope we will have opportunities to do that in the future."
  
  Suzanne W. Morse, president of Pew Partnership for Civic Change based in Charlottesville, Virginia: "Jim Clinton is a southern visionary. He understands our region and the opportunities that abound for the future. Central Louisiana is fortunate to have his expertise, knowledge and commitment as the region moves to new heights."

Interests

• Avocations: music, writing, baseball.

Connections

James H. Clinton married Ralene Means Cerise on September 15, 1964. Their marriage ended in 1994. Clinton secondly married Susan Mott on March 14, 1998. He has three children from the first marriage: Rende Gene, Jeremy James, Ryan David. He has one child by his second marriage: Cooper Harmon Rhodes Clinton.

Father:

James Harmon Clinton Sr.

Mother:

Kathryn Ione Sears

Son:

Jeremy James Clinton

Son:

Rende Gene Clinton

deceased

Son:

Ryan David Clinton

Wife:

Susan Mott Clinton

Son:

Cooper Harmon Rhodes Clinton

References

• Contemporary Authors, Vol. 166 This volume of Contemporary Authors contains biographical information on approximately 300 modern writers.
  1998