Coppage Named Deputy Director of WCEA

Oct 15, 2018

Greenville, MS – The Board of Directors for the Washington County Economic Alliance (WCEA), along with Executive Director Cary Karlson, announced today the promotion of Will Coppage to Deputy Director.

            “This is a proud day for our organization and for our community,” said Karlson. “Will is one of our own who has demonstrated the skills, enthusiasm, and capability needed in economic development to create success in our community.”

            In his new role, Coppage will take over new roles at the WCEA and work closely with Karlson in evaluating the needs of the organization to keep momentum moving in a positive direction of growth.

            “I am honored by the decision of our Board of Directors and Cary Karlson to select me for this promotion,” said Coppage. “Our community is thriving stronger than it has in recent years. I will continue to push myself and our organization forward to lead our area in economic and community development.” 

            Coppage is a Greenville native, who left in 1997 to join the U.S. Air Force, where he inspected and repaired KC-135 aircraft. From there, he earned a Bachelors Degree in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina; a Master of Arts in English from McNeese State University; and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from McNeese State University. He returned to Greenville in 2013 as a reporter for the Delta Democrat Times, and left the newspaper to serve as Executive Assistant to the Greenville Mayor from 2014-2015. He was hired as Project Manager for the WCEA in 2015.

            Since joining the WCEA, Coppage has been instrumental in pushing efforts forward related to promotional marketing, digital strategies, workforce development, and project management. He was a key player in bringing the NuFarm Americas industry to Washington County recently. Coppage was named Top 50 under 40 by the Mississippi Business Journal, Top 20 under 40 by the Delta Democrat-Times; and won the 2017 Ray and Jimmy Heidel Economic Development Leadership Award at the True South Economic Development session. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute, 2018.

            “During his time at the WCEA, Will has shown a passion for economic development in our community and has gone the extra mile to learn the business and the industry,” said Stephanie Patton, WCEA Board Chairman. “He’s great with clients, and I look forward to seeing his continued development and growth under Cary’s leadership.”