Kathleen Henry is a results-driven economic development and international business expert. She served as the Economic Development Director for Wake County Economic Development (WCED) from 2017 to 2022 and through KH Consulting now offers comprehensive services to economic development organizations, industry partners and service providers.

Recognized as a thought leader in economic development, international business, and foreign direct investment, Kathleen was named a Top 50 North American Economic Developer by Consultant Connect and previously served as a board member for the North Carolina Coalition for Global Competitiveness, formed by the late Secretary Jim Fain.

During her tenure at WCED, she was responsible for facilitating the location/expansion of notable companies such as Amgen, Ineos, Cellectis, Bandwidth, Microsoft, and Xerox. This resulted in over 4,000 new jobs, $833 million in planned capital investment, and 1.2 million added square feet of development across Wake County. Kathleen also implemented and led the organization’s region-wide international business strategy, securing Raleigh’s designation as #10 in the Top 25 American Cities for FDI Strategies by fDi Intelligence, a division of the Financial Times.

​Kathleen’s experience spans the Southeast and globe having worked for World Trade Center Savannah, an international economic development organization in Savannah, Georgia, where she served as the Manager of Research and Trade Development, helping local companies with their international growth strategies and planning, marketing, and executing inbound trade missions and outbound trade and investment development efforts for the Coastal Georgia region.

​With a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities presented to communities across the Southeast, US and in particular the Research Triangle, North Carolina, Kathleen offers the support and competitive knowledge that is necessary for organizations and teams to function at their highest potential and focus on priorities that ensure smart and sustainable growth.