Jake Maxwell
Salt Lake City’s Department of Economic Development has announced Jake Maxwell as the department’s new deputy director. Maxwell previously worked in the department within the Business Development division. Maxwell will assist in leading city employees across two divisions, the Salt Lake City Arts Council and Business Development, in addition to leading initiatives like Tech Lake City and ARPA Community Grants. He will also lead the department’s efforts on North Temple economic revitalization after the city was awarded a $190,000 grant from the Wasatch Front Regional Council to develop an Economic Revitalization Plan for the area. Maxwell has managed economic and workforce development programming for over 15 years. For the first 10 years of his career, he managed public assistance programs that helped families out of poverty and homelessness. More recently, he served Salt Lake City businesses by bringing his experience in convening businesses and community partners to tackle large employment barriers, developing talent pipelines for entry level to professional workforce, and ensuring Salt Lake City remains involved in innovative training pathways. The department’s deputy director position was previously held by Lorena Riffo-Jenson, who was appointed by Mayor Erin Mendenhall to the director position and then confirmed by City Council last October.
