Prince William County Accredited by the International Economic Development Council

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) announced that the Prince William County Department of Economic Development (PWCDED) has been recognized as one of 70 economic development organizations designated by IEDC as an Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO). 

"We only improve when we are willing to put our team, our vision, and our strategy to the highest test against professional best practices," said Christina Winn, executive director, PWCDED. "This accreditation acknowledges that PWCDED is at the top of its field, and I want to thank our enthusiastic business community as well as our supportive county leadership for embracing our incredible team’s efforts to elevate Prince William County’s development leadership."

Today IEDC President and CEO Nathan Ohle presented the PWCDED team with the AEDO designation as well as two IEDC Economic Excellence Awards for the entrepreneurship focused IGNITE program and the PWCDED.org website.  

“The Prince William County Department of Economic Development displays the professionalism, commitment, and technical expertise that is deserving of this honor,” said Ohle. 

The AEDO program is a comprehensive peer review process that measures economic development organizations against commonly held standards in the profession. The program consists of two phases: a documentation review and an onsite visit. Each phase is designed to evaluate information about the structure, organization, funding, programs, and staff of the candidate economic development organization. 

“Earning the AEDO designation tells the community and prospects that PWCDED has attained a measure of excellence assuring that their trust is well-placed, and their business is in good hands,” said Elijah Johnson, acting county executive, Prince William County.  

Maintenance of the AEDO status is required every three years and is accomplished through documentation submission and/or onsite visits by a team of the AEDO subcommittee.