Our Team

Lee Peterson
President

Lee Peterson joined the Temple Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) as President in December 2005, bringing with him years of experience in economic development. In late 2007, Peterson was directly involved in bringing in two of the most comprehensive projects the City of Temple has seen. In November, Gulf States Toyota announced its intent to build a regional Vehicle Processing Center (VPC), while in December, Panda Energy announced plans for a natural gas-fired power plant. Peterson spent the first 40 years of his life in Idaho, where he was involved in production agriculture along with a variety of both elected official responsibilities, such as County Commissioner, and volunteer efforts in support of economic development and job creation.In 1988, he attended Industrial Development courses at the University of Portland and the University of Oklahoma. In October of 1988, Peterson began his career as an economic development professional for the Chadron-Dawes County Economic Development Corporation in Nebraska. He was directly involved with the creation of 200 new jobs in the Chadron-Dawes area from then until December 1990.

In December of 1990, Peterson signed on as the President of the Minot Area Development Corporation (MADC) in Minot, North Dakota. With the start of his tenure there, MADC was completely redirected, with the main emphasis being the creation of new basic-industry (primary sector) jobs and the creation of new wealth for Northwest North Dakota. From December 1990 through December 2000, approximately 6,000 new jobs were created in MADC's service area. Some examples of successful projects, consisting of both expansions of local companies and the recruitment of new employers to the area, included:

Choice Hotels International
Terhorst Manufacturing Company
Cal-Dak Cabinets, Incorporated
Soaring Eagle Outerwear
Central Machining and Pump Repair
ING
Northrop Grumman
Northwest Airlines/MLT

In December 2000, Peterson was named as director of the Department of Economic Development and Finance and Commissioner of North Dakota Department of Commerce by North Dakota Governor John Hoeven. He held these positions until November 30, 2005.

Charley Ayres
Vice President

Charley Ayres, IOM joined the Temple staff in January of 2011 after more than 7 years with the Round Rock, Texas Economic Development Partnership as Vice President of Business Retention and Expansion and 16 years in the marketing profession. He serves as the Director of Business Development for the Temple Economic Development Corporation. He oversees the efforts in business and industry attraction and recruitment, and assists in the overall program of Temple's Economic Development.

Charley's community experience includes sitting on the Board of Williamson County's Municipal Utility District #10, The Round Rock Chamber of Commerce Board, Round Rock Partners in Education, and the Round Rock YMCA.

Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Ayres is a graduate of McCallum High School. He received his MBA Business Management Certification from Tulane University, in 2006 completed Basic Economic Development Certification at The University of Southern Mississippi, and in 2008 he completed his IOM Certification (Institute of Organizational Management) at the University of Georgia, and is currently completing his certification with the International Economic Development Council. 

Elizabeth Carlton
Director of Marketing

Elizabeth Carlton is responsible for with overseeing all external marketing and public relations activities as well as trade show coordination and special events for Temple Economic Development Corporation

Before joining TEDC in 2011, Elizabeth served as Business Retention Specialist with Pflugerville Community Development Corporation. She has also served as the Office Manager for Congressman Ed Whitfield (KY-01) in Washington, D.C. In 2006, Elizabeth moved to Texas to serve as Marketing and Research Coordinator in the Economic Development Department for the City of North Richland Hills. She began her career in economic development in 2004 when she joined the Madisonville/Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation as Project Manager where she oversaw the business retention program and assisted in the recruitment of new and expanding industries. A native of Madisonville, KY, Elizabeth graduated from The University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations.

She has completed the Kentucky Institute for Economic Development Basic Course, and graduated from The University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute. She has been active in the Kentucky Association for Economic Development, Texas Economic Development Council and the International Economic Development Council.

Bridget Hinze
Project Manager

As the Project Manager, Bridget performs research and analysis for economic development projects and proposal submissions. She is responsible for the management of organizational reports and databases for the Temple Economic Development Corporation. Bridget works alongside the marketing director and business development director to organize trade shows, conferences, meetings, and workshops. In addition, she assists with project proposals and site visits.

Before joining Temple EDC in 2011, Bridget served as the Communications Coordinator for the Temple Chamber of Commerce. In 2008 Bridget joined a top-tier political consulting firm in Austin, Texas. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Bridget received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Baylor University in 2007. In 2010 Bridget earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from The Bush School at Texas A&M University. She is currently completing her master’s degree in public administration from Texas State University and will graduate in 2013.