The Ohio Economic Development Association (OEDA) concluded the 2026 OEDA Annual Summit today with its second class of Hall of Honor inductees and the Annual Membership Meeting, where members approved new directors for the association’s board. OEDA also presented its President’s Award to Thomas Winston of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority on Wednesday.
Hall of Honor: Celebrating Lasting Impact
OEDA established the Hall of Honor in 2025 to preserve the history of excellence in Ohio’s economic development community and to inspire current and future practitioners. Inductees are approved by the board and selected for professional achievement and contributions that advance the profession as a whole.
The Hall’s inaugural class was inducted at the 2025 OEDA Summit in Akron: Dennis Mingyar of Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, honored for advancing community growth through the cooperative network’s site development and business-attraction efforts, and Kenny McDonald of One Columbus, recognized for guiding central Ohio’s strategy for attraction, talent and competitiveness and helping make the region one of the Midwest’s fastest-growing metros. Huddle and Kester join them, bringing the total number of Hall of Honor inductees to four.
This year’s inductees are:
Patricia “Patty” Huddle, Columbus-Franklin County Finance Authority — honored for a career of more than 30 years that has taken her from local economic development in Heath-Newark and Upper Arlington to the Ohio Department of Development, One Columbus and, since 2023, the presidency of the Columbus-Franklin County Finance Authority. Under her leadership, CFCFA has closed nearly $5 billion in financing supporting $7.3 billion in total investment, including more than 18,000 housing units. She also served as an OEDA At-Large Director from 2016 to 2020.
Jason Kester, Agracel — recognized for a career connecting Ohio communities, especially rural and smaller markets, with industrial investment as Executive Director of the Southern Ohio Port Authority, Project Manager at JobsOhio and Regional Development Director for Agracel, and for his service to OEDA as a board member, Ohio Economic Development Institute instructor and Summit Chair, leading the Annual Summit through two of its best-attended years.
“Patty and Jason have each spent their careers opening doors for Ohio communities — Patty by putting capital to work where it’s needed most, and Jason by bringing industrial investment to places that too often get overlooked,” said Maribeth Burns, President of the Wayne Economic Development Council and OEDA Board Chair. “Both have also given generously to this association and to the profession. That’s exactly the kind of lasting impact the Hall of Honor was created to recognize.”
President’s Award
The President’s Award is the one honor selected personally by OEDA’s President & CEO. David Zak presented the 2026 award on Wednesday to Thomas Winston, President & CEO of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, who chaired the search that brought Zak to OEDA and served as OEDA Board Chair in 2024 and 2025, a period of significant growth for the association. Winston has also supported OEDA with his time and resources.
“Thomas chaired the search that brought me to OEDA. The way he ran it, with care for this profession and for this association, is a big part of why I said yes,” said Zak. “He’s one of the busiest people I know, and he has never once said no to OEDA. His impact on this organization, and on me, has been significant. He’s one of the key reasons we’ve been successful these last two years.”
Annual Membership Meeting: Board Elections
Members received the Nominating Committee’s slate for two-year terms beginning January 1, 2027:
Area Directors:
Northeast — Maribeth Burns, Wayne Economic Development Council
Southeast — Evan Scurti, Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association
West — J. Alex Dietz, Clark County
At-Large Directors:
Stephanie Bosco, Lancaster Port Authority
Paul Brehm, Deerfield Township
Kimberly Marshall, City of Medina
Barrett Thomas, Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development