Caitlin Cain is a certified Economic Developer and Urban Planner. She has over 15 years of experience in governmental/organizational leadership and in working with non-profits and public-private partnerships on a variety of policy, economic development and complex project management initiatives. Caitlin currently serves as the CEO of the World Trade Center of New Orleans, where she works to champion international trade and economic development initiatives throughout the State of Louisiana. Her previous experience includes a federal appointed term as the Regional Advocate for the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, covering Region VI, which includes the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Throughout this tenure, Caitlin worked to amplify the voice of small businesses and advocate for policy and regulatory change to federal agencies and the White House; she also works on forging numerous public-private partnerships in a variety of economic sectors.
Caitlin previously served as the Director of Economic Development for the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission (RPC), where she attracted millions of dollars of investment and coordinated the work of many complex projects ranging from infrastructure development to land use and economic revitalization plans; her post-hurricane Katrina/disaster recovery efforts included retaining and developing the new VA Medical Center and the University Medical Center and initiating and overseeing the complex planning and development of the larger New Orleans Regional Biosciences District. Prior to that, Caitlin served as both a retail/market analyst and urban planner for a major design firm in Detroit, MI where she worked on designing, analyzing and developing Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TNDs).
Caitlin is also the founder and principal of Cain & Co. – a boutique, women-owned consulting firm specializing in fund development, strategic planning and complex project management.