Tonya Dowse Receives California’s First-Ever Local Economic Development Champion Award

As part of its celebration of Economic Development Week, the Siskiyou Economic Development Council (SEDC) is proud to recognize a landmark achievement for rural Northern California. SEDC Executive Director Tonya Dowse was recently honored as California’s first-ever Local Economic Development Champion by the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED). 
 
Dowse received the honor at CALED’s Celebrating Success Luncheon on May 8 in Ontario, Calif., following her nomination by CALED President & CEO Gurbax Sahota. The award highlights her decades of leadership and the significant, statewide impact of her work in advancing rural economic development. 
 
“This award celebrates those whose contributions have had a lasting and transformative impact on their region’s economic growth, sustainability, and prosperity,” Sahota said. 
 
With more than 30 years working in rural economic development, Dowse has led the SEDC since 2005. Under her guidance, the nonprofit organization has become a model for rural innovation—recognized for bold strategy, regional leadership, and national acclaim. 

Dowse and her team recently expanded the organization’s reach, hosting the Shasta Cascade region’s three-county Small Business Development Center and California Business Innovation Hub, strengthening the rural economy through best-in-class programming. Under her leadership the SEDC launched Discover Siskiyou in 2015, unifying the county’s lodging properties under one cohesive brand and marketing plan, and secured USDA funds to create Siskiyou Farm Co., connecting working lands to direct-to-consumer markets. The SEDC also formed and leads the Siskiyou Climate Collaborative—the only California-designated initiative driven by a business-first approach to climate resilience. 

Dowse consistently champions tools rarely accessed in rural regions, including EPA Brownfield funding, Business Improvement Districts, Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts, and New Markets Tax Credits—unlocking transformative public and private investment within small communities. The SEDC's selection as a Jobs First pilot award recipient affirms its role as a statewide leader in building scalable, resilient rural economies. 
Dowse’s leadership extends to cultivating a high-performing team and board that reflect Siskiyou’s identity, values, and future. With professionals who pair advanced credentials with lived experience, the Council serves as a trusted engine of rural progress. She also serves on the North State Jobs First Advisory Committee and was named one of the 40 most outstanding economic development professionals in California by CALED.  

“Tonya is an amazing leader and an example for all of Northern California and the state as someone who works in a multitude of different disciplines,” said Robert G. Burris, Deputy Chief Economic Development Officer at RCRC. “There aren’t a lot of resources in some of our rural counties, but you wouldn’t believe that when you visit Tonya and her operation. She’s a force of nature. Whenever there is a project that can’t be done, they bring in Tonya—and she gets it done.” 

“It’s a time to honor our collective progress and elevate the work happening in places like Siskiyou,” Dowse said. “This is a wonderful call to action—to keep building a thriving, resilient future for the next generation.”