Honorary Life Members

Honorary Life Membership Criteria

What does it take to become an HLM? Basically, a lot of quality time and effort poured into the organization and profession as recognized by peers.

The criteria are as follows: 

1. Must be or have been an economic, industrial, or community development professional whose activities and accomplishments in the field extend far beyond those necessary to satisfy the position(s) for which he or she has been compensated;
2. Must have at least ten (10) years of service in the SEDC region as a professional economic, industrial, or community developer;
3. Must be a past or present member of SEDC and must have demonstrated multiple years of service to SEDC, said service is as a committee member, board member, officer, or committed, active supporter of SEDC;
4. Must be at least 50 years old.

HLM designation allows the recipient to hold office in SEDC and to vote. Honorary Life Members who are still active in the economic development profession continue to pay their dues; however, if the HLM recipient is retired, he/she does not have to pay dues.

The Selection Committee consists of the five immediate past Chairmen. They will consider any recommendations and present qualified recommendations to the Board of Directors.

The process of nominating someone for HLM Status is through the State Director from a state where the candidate has served (click here to view the list of state directors). He/she can submit the candidate to the Selection Committee. Please note that self-nominations will not be accepted.

The package should:

• Include a letter from the nominee’s State Director and three other letters of recommendation from current SEDC members on company letterhead;
• Include a biography of the candidate that tells of his/her service to an SEDC member state, service to SEDC, and significant contributions to the economic development profession;
• Arrive at the SEDC State Director's office by 5:00 PM (eastern) on June 30th, 2024.

For questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with Matthew Darius, Director of Operations, SEDC, at matthew@sedc.org.

HLM Scoring Form