Governor Eric Holcomb has announced the selection of Jim Staton to serve as Indiana’s interim Secretary of Commerce.
The announcement comes a week after the state’s former Secretary of Commerce, Jim Schellinger, resigned. Prior to his appointment as Secretary of Commerce, he served as president of the Indiana Economic Development Corp. He was also a Democratic candidate for governor in 2008.
The Secretary of Commerce is the state’s top economic development official. Schellinger’s departure comes shortly after the resignation of Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson. Staton begins as interim Secretary of Commerce immediately.
According to the governor’s office:
Staton has served Indiana’s business community for more than 30 years. He first joined the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) in 2005 and currently serves as senior vice president and chief business development officer, overseeing the organization’s domestic and international business expansion and attraction efforts and leading the team through back-to-back record-breaking years for economic development.
Prior to being selected to lead global business development activity in 2018, he served in a number of economic development-focused roles at the IEDC, including vice president of business development, director of business development for the central and northwest Indiana regions, and as business recruitment director for North America.
Staton holds undergraduate degrees in environmental design and urban planning from Ball State University.
