Governor Perdue Announces Appointment of Loretta Lepore to Georgia Department of Economic Development

Will Oversee State’s Economic Development Marketing Effort

ATLANTA, GA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that Loretta Lepore, who has served as his press secretary since October 2003, has been appointed director of marketing with the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD).

“Loretta has been invaluable to my office and her new position will create greater efficiencies and a more streamlined process for marketing the state and creating new business and tourism opportunities,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “Solidifying the bridge between GDEcD and the Office of the Governor will positively impact our state’s prosperity.”

Lepore will oversee the state’s economic development marketing effort. In her new position, she will assess how the state is positioned for economic development and work to develop new initiatives that will create a preference for Georgia in business and tourism.

“Loretta will be able to build on her experiences working with the Governor to help create new, more efficient relationships with the department’s public and private sector partners throughout the state,” said GDEcD Commissioner Craig Lesser. “She will help advance the Governor’s vision of enhancing quality of life for all Georgia residents.”

In her tenure with the Governor’s Office, Lepore coordinated communications among federal, state and local agencies and was responsible for statewide communications strategy and implementation during the G8 Summit; developed communication strategy for the Governor’s tourism initiative with the Southern Governor’s Association; and has been active in the state’s efforts to locate the headquarters of the Free Trade Areas of the Americas (FTAA) Secretariat in Atlanta.

Prior to joining the Governor’s staff, Lepore spent 11 years with the Cable News Network (CNN) and anchored on Headline News. As a correspondent with the network’s Southeast Bureau, Lepore covered stories in the region for multiple CNN networks. She has also worked with WUSA-TV, National Public Radio, and NBC/ Mutual Radio in Washington, D.C., and in the offices of Senator John Warner and Congressman Jack Kemp. She received a bachelor’s degree in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia and a media fellowship, “Culture of the South,” from Vanderbilt University.