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Brian Doudna, Executive Director
Brian Doudna came to the Eau Claire Area EDC in 2004. He was previously the Executive Director of the Portage County Business Council (county-wide Chamber and EDC) in Stevens Point, and has also held economic development positions in Rhinelander and Sparta. Brian is involved with the boards of directors of many organizations, including Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDA), the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, the Chippewa Valley Innovation Center, and Momentum West. He is also involved with Rotary, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and is a member of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).

Gwen Southard, Business Development Director
Gwen Southard joined the EDC in 2007 as Business Development Manager. She has over 15 years of experience in marketing, sales, event planning and project management. Gwen is a member of the Wisconsin Economic Development Association and a committee member within DECI and the Women’s Business Conference. She serves as a board member on the Chippewa Valley Technical College and as a board advisor to the NanoRite Innovation Center. Gwen is also active in PTO at her children’s school and within her church.

Angie Niska, Marketing Manager
Angie Niska recently joined the EDC as the new Marketing Manager. Niska has held positions at General Mills, 3M, Sacred Heart Hospital, and most recently was the Marketing Manager at Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire. She attended St. Cloud State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. Later, she earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota with an emphasis in Marketing. Niska is married to her husband Tom, who is co-owner of Timber Technologies in Colfax, WI, and they have two young children.

Internships with the EDC
The Eau Claire Area EDC strongly believes in internship programs and fully utilizes the talents of local students for internships. The EDC’s goal is to ensure that each intern will create tangible pieces for their portfolios that will be used in our daily operations. Currently, the EDC employs interns in the following positions:

Marketing/Public Relations
This position is currently filled until May.

Graphic Design
This position is currently filled until May.

Web Developer
This position is currently filled until May.

Next - Eau Claire MarketInterested in an internship? Contact us!