Oakland, CA – Today, the City of Oakland announced the appointment of Micah Hinkle as Deputy Director/Business Development Manager for the Economic & Workforce Development Department. He will lead the City’s programs and activities that expand Oakland’s economy and foster business investment. Micah will start work on October 22, 2018.
“Micah is the ideal manager to join our team at this time, given his proven success in growing Hayward’s economy and familiarity with the East Bay’s business environment,” said Mark Sawicki, Director of the Economic & Workforce Development Department. “His broad municipal experience will help foster collaboration with multiple City departments to generate equitable growth through implementation of Oakland’s Economic Development Strategy.”
Micah comes to Oakland after four years as Economic Development Manager with the City of Hayward, where he co-created and implemented award-winning programs that helped develop over $1 billion in private investment, over 2,500 housing units, and multiple industrial, hospitality, and commercial developments that will serve as catalysts for the Hayward community. His work has garnered multiple awards, including a 2018 International Economic Development Council award for four-year program implementation bestowed earlier this week in Atlanta.
“Oakland’s diverse and vibrant business community is the driver of the East Bay economy,” said Micah Hinkle upon accepting the Deputy Director position. “I look forward to partnering with Oakland community and business leaders to accelerate economic opportunities and grow quality jobs for all Oaklanders.”
Before joining the City of Hayward, Micah served as Assistant City Manager of Cotati in Sonoma County, where he led the city’s economic development program, risk management, and information technologies departments, amongst a host of other duties. In his six-year tenure with the City of Napa he held key project management roles in transformative development projects such as the Hyatt Andaz, Westin Verasa, Meritage Resort, and the widely acclaimed Oxbow Public Market. In addition, Hinkle managed the design and development of three parks in downtown Napa and served as the City’s liaison for businesses impacted by the $440 million Napa River Flood Control Project.
In addition to economic development, Micah’s career spans multiple municipal government roles including city planning, public works and engineering, redevelopment, code enforcement, and administration. He started his career with the City of San Rafael as a city planner after earning Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Economics and Planning from Sonoma State University.
Micah is active in regional economic development activities and currently serves on the Leadership Committee of the East Bay Economic Development Alliance (EBEDA) as the co-chair for marketing and communications. He is the immediate past chair of EBEDA’s Economic Development Directors Council.
Micah will direct a staff of 10 in the Business Development division, engaged in business retention, expansion, formation, and attraction activities; operation of the Oakland Business Assistance Center; formation and management of community benefit/business improvement districts; and marketing Oakland as a top business location.
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