N.C. Secretary of Commerce J. Keith Crisco today announced that Joseph D. Crocker will become the department’s assistant secretary of community development, effective March 4. Crocker, of Winston-Salem, most recently served as director of operations and program officer for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. Prior to that, he spent 26 years in leadership positions at Wachovia Corp., including senior vice president and Carolinas community affairs manager.
“We are very pleased to have Joe Crocker join our Commerce team,” Crisco said. “His outstanding leadership skills, financial expertise and extensive experience with North Carolina communities make him the ideal person for this job, especially during such challenging times.” Crocker replaces Cleve Simpson, who recently announced his retirement.
Crocker, a native of Kings Mountain and alumnus of Western Carolina University, has worked with communities across North Carolina in his positions at Z. Smith Reynolds and the banking industry. He also has been involved in numerous civic activities and currently serves as chair of the N.C. Science, Math & Technology Education Center and on the boards of Bank of Granite Corp., Western Carolina University Foundation and on the N.C. Medical Care Commission.
“I look forward to joining Secretary Crisco’s team at Commerce and helping him accomplish the goal of achieving economic prosperity for all citizens and communities in North Carolina,” Crocker said. “As Secretary Crisco has indicated to me, ‘in these challenging times superior customer service will be needed to achieve this goal,’ and I along with my teammates in the Division of Community Assistance intend to deliver on this promise of superior customer service.”
Crocker will oversee Commerce’s community development programs, which provide the state’s less prosperous communities with resources and services to help them plan for growth and address community needs.
Community development program services include:
· Revitalizing downtowns and smaller communities through Main Street, Small Town Main Street and 21st Century Communities programs;
· Helping communities develop a vision and plan for future development;
· Upgrading infrastructure, fostering entrepreneurship and providing housing and other opportunities through administration of the federal Community Development Block Grants program, the state’s Industrial Development Fund and the North Carolina office of the Appalachian Regional Commission;
· Tapping into the local workforce development programs; and
· Assisting communities with recruitment, retention and expansion of new and existing companies through workforce programs and economic development grant programs.
Crocker holds a B.S./B.A. degree from Western Carolina with a concentration in Business Law. In 2006, the university awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, and in 2003 recognized him with its Alumni Distinguished Service Award. He also has been recognized as the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Citizen of the Year (1989) and the Hickory Community Relations Council Outstanding Citizen (1986).