Ron Corbett is retiring as vice president of economic development at the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, ending nearly four decades of public service.
Mr. Corbett’s retirement is effective March 31, according to an organizational update newsletter from the CRMEA Monday, Feb. 23.
Mr. Corbett has served in a variety of community leadership positions over the past 39 years.
He served in the Iowa Legislature from January 1987 to July 1999, including as Iowa House speaker from 1996 to 1999.
He then served as chief executive officer for the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce – the predecessor of the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance – from July 1999 to July 2005, and worked at CRST in various leadership roles from July 2005 to April 2010.
He was elected mayor of Cedar Rapids in January 2010, serving until December 2017. In June 2018, he joined the CRMEA as business retention and expansion strategist, and was named vice president of economic development in January 2021.
And he was twice named the Most Influential Leader in the Corridor by the Corridor Business Journal, in 2010 and again in 2013.
“Ron has been one of my champions since I began working at the Economic Alliance this past summer,” Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance president and CEO Juliet Abdel said in a statement. “Congratulations on this next chapter. I am so grateful to have worked together and the friendship we now maintain.”
“It has been my absolute pleasure to serve the City of Cedar Rapids,” Mr. Corbett said in the statement. “As an elected official and a leader in the economic development industry, I will continue to remain supportive of the Economic Alliance and look forward to seeing all that lies ahead for this esteemed organization under Juliet’s leadership and team. My wife Carrie and I have been planning on retirement for years now so we may spend more time with our loved ones.”
A celebration of Mr. Corbett’s service is planned for Thursday, March 26 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room of the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance’s office, 501 First St. SE. It will be open to the public.
