Mary Ellen Wiederwohl is the President and CEO of Accelerator for America, a national nonprofit that works with Mayors and economic development leaders to develop solutions to economic insecurity and share them with cities across the country. She has two and a half decades of experience in business, civic leadership, and public affairs. She was the founding leader of Louisville Forward, the city’s economic and community development arm; under her leadership from 2014-2020, Louisville Forward was named a Top Economic Development Organization six times by Site Selection Magazine. During her city tenure, Louisville experienced more than $17 billion of new capital investment, made substantial new investments in affordable housing, and introduced industry leading innovations in talent development and the future of work. She also served as Interim President & CEO of LHOME, Louisville’s homegrown CDFI. Prior to her city service, Mary Ellen worked primarily at the state government level with expertise in policy development, communications, and advocacy.
