Jason Hall, Class of 2002, has been named director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Hall’s appointment was announced by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon.
Hall previously served as executive director of the Missouri Technology Corporation.
In his new position, Hall will oversee continued implementation of the Missouri Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth, the five-year blueprint developed by Governor Nixon’s administration and business leaders throughout the state.
Hall was appointed by Governor Nixon in 2009 to his previous position as executive director of the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC), where he oversaw the transformation and rejuvenation of the organization and its mission of supporting the growth of high-tech scientific and technology companies in Missouri. “Jason Hall was instrumental in the development of Missouri’s competitive application for the State Small Business Credit Initiative, a program that is investing $27 million in high-tech, small-business growth and job creation in Missouri,” Governor Nixon said. “The two programs developed under Missouri’s SSBCI application, the IDEA and Grow Missouri loan programs, have been recognized nationally as models other states should follow.”
The MTC also has supported a number of key initiatives to develop entrepreneurial talent in Missouri and to help entrepreneurs transform bright ideas into successful and growing companies. The MTC also played a key role in attracting a major investment from DuPont/Pioneer for a biotech facility in Missouri’s Bootheel area.
“Jason Hall is exactly the type of bright, energetic leader we need to help create jobs and move Missouri’s economy forward,” Governor Nixon said. “Under Jason’s leadership, the Missouri Technology Corporation has developed into a strong force for innovation and job-creation in our state. Our successful IDEA and Grow Missouri loan programs have been recognized nationally and are models for other states to follow, and the legislature and Missourians also have embraced Jason’s leadership at MTC, as shown by the strong support for our innovative MOSIRA legislation. With his strong background at the MTC and his stellar academic record, I know Jason will bring energy, dedication and professionalism to his new position as director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development.”
Hall says he looks forward to working with Governor Nixon as Missouri turns the corner “after a tough national downturn, and our economy is beginning to move in the right direction.”
Before earning his law degree at Vanderbilt, Hall earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1997 from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. He served as a clerk for Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Jacksonville, Florida, and then worked as an attorney in private practice before his appointment to the Missouri Technology Corporation.