Jonas Peterson

CEO
Region 8
Southwest Michigan First
Website: Southwest Michigan First

Email: jpeterson@southwestmichiganfirst.com

CURRENT FOCUS

Jonas Peterson currently serves as CEO of Southwest Michigan First (SMF). In that role, he leads a talented team focused on strengthening the regional economy and positioning SMF as a national leader in economic and community development.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Prior to joining SMF, Peterson served as President and CEO of Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA). During his tenure, LVGEA quickly become one of the largest and most influential nonprofit business associations in Nevada. His team helped over 250 companies create more than 26,000 high-wage jobs and deliver $30 billion in economic impact throughout Southern Nevada. Some of the more notable projects include Virgin Hyperloop One, Barclays, Amazon, Tesla/Solar City, Boring Co., Switch, Google, and many others.

EDUCATION/PERSONAL

Jonas received a M.P.S. in Community and Economic Development from Pennsylvania State University and a M.B.A. from North Dakota State University. He is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma (OUEDI), and a Certified Business Retention and Expansion Consultant. Additionally, he has completed Stanford University’s Executive Program, Oxford’s Executive Leadership Programme at the Saïd Business School, and the Nonprofit Leadership Series at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.