St. Tammany Parish Development District

Chris Masingill has been the Chief Executive Officer for the St. Tammany Parish Development District (STPDD) since July 2018.
Most recently, Masingill worked as a business consultant and strategic advisor for a public sector client dealing in infrastructure, multi-family housing, and public works. He also served as a resident scholar for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, where he advised and collaborated with the Bank’s Community and Economic Development Department on research and policy for workforce development, small business, and community investments.

Previously, Masingill served as the federal co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority from 2010-2017. He was a U.S. Senate-confirmed presidential appointee. The DRA works to improve regional economic opportunity by helping to create jobs, build communities, and improve the lives of the 10 million people who reside in the 252 counties and parishes of the eight-state Delta region. As federal co-chairman, Masingill answered to a board composed of the governors of the eight states.
In Masingill’s seven years as federal co-chairman, the DRA leveraged more than $90 million in DRA funds into nearly $1.6 billion in total private- and public-sector investments in Delta communities. Overall, DRA investments under Masingill assisted in the creation and retention of more than 5,700 jobs. Almost 3,000 workers received training for 21st-century employment.

He has a proven track record of creating sustainable, collaborative partnerships with a variety of local, federal, and state agencies, as well as with business and community leaders, legislators, and nonprofit organizations. As part of his plan to increase the DRA’s transparency, accountability, and program capacity, Masingill instituted a strategic and proactive communications program to increase stakeholder and public awareness of the DRA.

For his leadership in advancing economic development initiatives in the Delta region, Masingill was presented the Federal Leadership in Economic Development Programs Award in 2015 by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).

Prior to leading the DRA, Masingill served the state of Arkansas as Governor Mike Beebe’s director of intergovernmental affairs and chief policy advisor for economic and community development. During that time, he was also tasked to serve as the Arkansas recovery implementation director for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

His key areas of expertise include economic development; community revitalization and creative placemaking; small business development and entrepreneurship; workforce training and development; disaster recovery and resilience; public safety and law enforcement; and strategic organizational management and planning.

Masingill holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Science with a minor in business administration from Texas Wesleyan University. He also holds professional designations for economic development, project management and emergency management and disaster preparedness.