Our
Leadership
Ellen D. Harpel , Ph. D.
Ellen Harpel is the founder of Smart Incentives, which helps communities make sound decisions throughout the economic development incentives process. She is also president of Business Development Advisors LLC (BDA), an economic development and market intelligence consulting firm in Arlington, VA. Launched in 2013, Smart Incentives works with state, local, and national governments to design and implement incentive programs that are effective and responsible. Smart Incentives is also at the forefront of efforts to develop more robust processes for monitoring compliance and evaluating the effectiveness of incentive programs.
Ellen speaks and writes frequently on incentives for audiences comprising economic development leaders, elected officials, and finance professionals, including the National Conference on State Legislatures, State Economic Development Executives Network, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and National Association of State Budget Offices. She has provided legislative testimony in several states. Publications include “Workforce Incentives: Empowering Talent Development and Economic Competitiveness” (CALED 2025), “Incentives for Entrepreneurial Firms” (Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation 2021), and “Reflecting Community Priorities in Economic Development Practices (The Pew Charitable Trusts 2020). She contributed the chapter on “Cost-Benefit Analysis of Investment Incentives” for Rethinking Investment Incentives: Trends and Policy Options (Columbia University Press 2016).
Ellen is a Senior Research Fellow with the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness and an Affiliate Faculty member with the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.
EDUCATION
PhD Regional Economics, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University
Master of Business Administration, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina
Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service, Georgetown University
RECENT EXPERIENCE
Business Oregon
Strategic Assessment of Incentives
Enterprise Zone Transparency Study
Business Incentive Modernization Initiative
Salem, OR
State of Oklahoma Incentive Evaluation Commission (with PFM)
Oklahoma City, OK
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Incentives for Entrepreneurial Firms
Kansas City, MO
Vermont Department of Financial Regulation
Effectiveness of Incentive Programs in Attracting
New Workers (with PFM)
Montpelier, VT
CREC and SEDE Network
Repositioning Incentives
Arlington, VA
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Reflecting Community Priorities in Economic Development Practices
City/State Economic Development Cooperation
Washington, DC
Franklin County Economic Development and Planning
Economic Development Strategic Plan
Franklin County, OH
Prosper Portland
Business & Industry Team Metrics
Portland, OR
Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development
Economic Development Strategic Plan (with CREC)
Salt Lake City, UT
Michigan Economic Development Corporation
Michigan Business Development Program Effectiveness Study
Lansing, MI
Economic Development Alliance
Competitive Economic Development
Incentives Analysis
Jefferson County, AR
New Jersey Economic Development Authority
Economic Impact Assessment: Technology Business Tax Credit Certificate Transfer Program (with ESI Consulting)
Trenton, NJ
Invest Atlanta
External Review of Incentives
Atlanta, GA
Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
Management Review and Recommendations (with CREC)
Business Development Tax Credit Evaluation (with PFM)
Madison, WI
Economic Impact of Tax Incentive Programs
New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (with PFM)
Albany, NY
Stephen S. Fuller Institute, George Mason University
Changing Nature of Work Series: Gig and Independent Work
Arlington, VA
Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness
The Pew Charitable Trusts Business Incentives Initiative
State Data Sharing Initiative
Washington, DC
Maryland Department of Commerce
Economic Development Incentives and Financing Study (with CREC)
Baltimore, MD
Incentive Training and Workshops
I. Investment Incentives and Sustainable Investments
Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
II. Intro Incentives Course
Council of Development Finance Agencies
III. Designing and Managing Business Incentive Compliance Programs
Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness
International
I. Certification Course on International Investment and Sustainable Development
World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies, Istanbul
II. Improving the Use of Investment Incentives in the Southern Mediterranean Region
EU-OECD, Amman
III. Policy Guidelines to Develop Colombia’s ICT Ecosystem
MIT Technology Review and MinTIC, Colombia