Meet Our Staff
The Copperas Cove EDC is staffed by three; an Executive Director, Assistant Director and an Economic Development Specialist. While they each have different functions, the mission and goal are the same – Copperas Cove!
Fred Welch has been involved in economic development close for 30 years in Texas. Most recently he has served The Greater Houston Partnership as Senior Director for Economic Development. Previous positions include The Economic Alliance for the Houston Port Region, and The Greater Conroe Economic Development Council. From 2010 until 2014 Welch served the Houston region as Vice President for regional economic development with The Greater Houston Partnership (GHP). While at GHP, Fred and his team were a part of one of the most dynamic periods of jobs growth and capital investment in Houston and Texas leading the nation in job growth and investment three out of four years. Fred is well respected both regionally and nationally. In addition to his time with GHP, he previously served as Vice President, Marketing and Recruitment for the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce and in Type A and B sales tax cities of Pearland and LaMarque. Fred is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) through the International Economic Development Council and a Certified Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) through the National Development Council. In 2017 he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Texas Economic Development Council.
Diane has worked with both private and public companies, for-profit and non-profit, large and small companies. She was able to flourish, grow and take away from each. Diane grew up as an “Army brat” and was often the “new girl” and therefore she isn’t afraid of change. Diane has been with the CCEDC since 2013. She was with the Killeen Chamber of Commerce for almost 7 years prior, working as a business counselor to small businesses. She accepted a newly created position with the CCEDC as the Business Retention and Expansion Professional (BREP). During that time, she worked with start-ups, assisted business owners and opened and managed a successful Entrepreneur Center. Since then, she has been promoted to the new position of Assistant Director and also served as Interim Director for over a year. She has seen many changes in the organization and has worn many hats. This is an organization she has grown with and is proud to be a part of. “The most difficult part thing about economic development is that it does not happen overnight, and most things we do are not “pretty”. While there is no instant gratification in what we do, I am excited in what we are working hard on and what we see coming!”
“Brittany is a veteran who served six and a half years in the Army. She was born in Philadelphia PA, where she was the youngest of four. After graduating high school, Brittany got married and was stationed in Fort Drum, NY where she and her husband welcomed their first child. After spending five years in NY, Brittany and her family relocated to Fort Hood, TX and later she deployed to Iraq in support of OIR (Operation Inherent Resolved). Soon after returning from Iraq, Brittany knew it was time for a change of scenery and decided it was time to hang up the uniform. She is now a part of the Copperas Cove Economic Development Cooperation as the Economic Development Specialist, where she is looking forward to expanding her knowledge and giving back to the community.
