September 30, 2026

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Developing a Pre-Professional Resume in Economic Development, a Conversation with Isaiah Matthews ’27

Montgomery, AL – Isaiah Matthews ’27, a business administration major from Huntsville, Alabama, has utilized his Huntingdon College pre-professional opportunities to the fullest through hands-on experiences and professional networking. HC News interviewed Isaiah about his journey from his business class internship to a rich resume in economic development, all before he walks across Top Stage in May.

HC News: In the spring, you interned with the State of Alabama Personnel Department. That experience led you to your summer internship and a fall program. What has been the path forward from the spring to your current role.

Isaiah: My path started with the State of Alabama Personnel Department, where I gained experience in state government, recruiting, talent acquisition, and workforce development. The opportunity that ultimately connected me directly to economic development was being accepted into the Economic Development Association of Alabama (EDAA) Summer Internship Program.

EDAA is a statewide organization that brings together economic development professionals and organizations working to promote industrial and economic growth throughout Alabama. Its summer internship program places selected interns with major organizations involved in economic development, including the Alabama Department of Commerce, utilities, and other public and private economic development partners.

Being accepted into that program ultimately helped me transition from my foundation at State Personnel into the Business Development Division at Commerce. It gave me a direct entry point into the economic development profession and led to the project work, relationships, and professional development opportunities I have today.

HC News: Talk more about your current position with the Alabama Department of Commerce. 

Isaiah: I work with the Alabama Department of Commerce in the Business Development Division, under the leadership of Secretary of Commerce Ellen McNair, appointed by Governor Kay Ivey. Secretary McNair has been an amazing leader and an even better person to have the opportunity to work under. Being around her leadership has given me another example of how strong leadership, relationships, and professionalism come together in economic development.

Within Business Development Division, I work directly on economic development projects alongside project managers. My work includes project management, company and industry research, preparing project information, coordinating meetings, and building relationships with public officials, local and regional economic development organizations (EDOs), private industry leaders, and other partners across the state.

These relationships are a major part of moving projects forward and connecting companies with opportunities in Alabama. In 2025, Alabama recorded $14.6 billion in capital investment across 234 new and expanding industry projects, which shows the scale of the economic development work I have the opportunity to be part of.

I work directly with project managers in the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Business Development Division, who manage projects across Alabama’s major industry sectors. These include aerospace and aviation, automotive and mobility, defense, bioscience, technology, metals and advanced materials, agriculture and food products, forestry products, chemicals, innovation, and operations and logistics.

Beyond our internal team, my work puts me in direct contact with local and regional economic development organizations (EDOs), public officials, private industry leaders, utilities, site consultants, community leaders, and other partners involved in economic development. Working with professionals from so many different areas has helped me understand how much collaboration goes into taking a project from an initial conversation to an actual investment in an Alabama community.

HC News: What are the hands-on experiences available to you at Commerce?

Isaiah: I work hands-on with active economic development projects. My responsibilities include project management, company and industry research, preparing project information and briefings, coordinating meetings, communicating with stakeholders, and working alongside project managers throughout the business development process.

A major part of my experience has also been traveling across Alabama and outside the state for projects, industry events, meetings, and site visits. I have traveled throughout the state, including Mobile, Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, and rural communities, which has allowed me to experience firsthand how economic development opportunities and needs differ across Alabama.

I also have opportunities to travel outside Alabama for industry events and professional development. This includes traveling to Atlanta for the Southern Automotive Conference and participating in Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association (AAMA) events. These experiences put me in environments with industry leaders, economic developers, public officials, and private-sector decision-makers.

The site visits have been especially valuable because they allow me to understand the physical side of economic development, seeing communities, properties, infrastructure, and locations that could potentially become part of a company’s investment decision. Between working on projects, traveling, attending industry events, and visiting communities, I am gaining experience in economic development from both the project-management and field sides.

HC News: Your summer and fall internships have also connected you to the Auburn University Intensive Economic Development Training Course.  Talk about that experience.

Isaiah: The Auburn University Government and Economic Development Institute (GEDI) was connected to my experience through the EDAA Summer Internship Program. As part of the program, the other EDAA interns and I spent a week at Auburn University participating in economic development training and networking with high-level professionals from across the field.

It gave us an opportunity to step outside of our individual placements and learn about all aspects of economic development from professionals working in different areas of the industry. It also allowed us to build relationships with one another and with established professionals throughout Alabama’s economic development community.

The program provides an in-depth look at the different components of economic and community development and allows participants to learn directly from experienced professionals working throughout the field.

During the GEDI program, I participated in professional training covering areas such as Alabama government and economic development, workforce development, education, infrastructure, public policy, utilities, EDOs, community resources, and the roles of state and local officials.

We worked through a mock economic development project involving a company considering locating in Alabama. That gave me firsthand experience working with EDOs and professionals representing different aspects of economic development to determine what would be needed to successfully recruit and support a project.

That exercise was especially valuable because it reflected the collaborative nature of the work I now do at Commerce. It demonstrated that a successful project requires multiple organizations and professionals bringing different resources, expertise, and perspectives to the table.

HC News: What was your biggest takeaway from that opportunity?

Isaiah: My biggest takeaway has been learning just how relationship-driven economic development is. Investment, workforce, infrastructure, sites, and business needs are all important, but relationships and communication bring those pieces together.

Working directly on projects has taught me the importance of trust, professionalism, responsiveness, and bringing the right people to the table. I have also learned that some of the most important work happens long before an investment or project is publicly announced.

This experience has opened doors that I never expected to have this early in my career. I have had opportunities to be in the same room with the Governor, former governors, senior public officials, business executives, and high-level economic development professionals. More importantly, I have been able to build genuine professional relationships with people who are making decisions and creating change.

Those relationships extend beyond Alabama. My work has given me exposure to changemakers and professionals from Washington, D.C., as well as national and global business leaders and partners. Being able to develop those relationships while still in college has expanded my professional network and given me a much broader understanding of how decisions at the local, state, national, and global levels connect to economic development in Alabama.

HC News: How have your Huntingdon College classes coordinated with your internships in a pre-professional way to help you with your opportunities in the field?

Isaiah: My education at Huntingdon College has worked alongside my professional experiences rather than separately from them. My courses in business, management, leadership, human resources, and professional communication have given me skills that I use directly in my work at Commerce.

One example is Dr. Erin Chandler’s approach to rhetoric and professional writing. The idea of understanding your audience, knowing how to communicate a message effectively, and adjusting that message depending on who you are speaking to is something I use every day in economic development. Whether I am communicating with a company, an EDO, a public official, or another professional, the way information is presented matters. We apply those same principles in Professional Writing, so I have been able to take something from the classroom and immediately see its value in my career.

Dr. Chandler and Dr. Jane Goodson have also helped me strategically structure my coursework so that I can maintain full-time student status at Huntingdon while working a full 40-hour professional workweek at the Alabama Department of Commerce. That flexibility has allowed me to take advantage of opportunities that extend far beyond Montgomery. For example, I am traveling to Atlanta for the Southern Automotive Conference through my work with Commerce while continuing to manage my responsibilities as a full-time Huntingdon student.

Having professors who value students gaining meaningful career experience while they are still in college has made a major difference for me. There are some real gems among Huntingdon’s professors, staff, and leadership who genuinely invest in students and understand that preparing someone for a career today can extend beyond the traditional classroom.

President Anthony Leigh, Dr. Chandler, and Dr. Goodson have been amazing examples of that for me. Their support has shown me how Huntingdon can position students for an evolving economy and job market, where employers value a college education alongside professional experience, communication skills, adaptability, relationships, and the ability to perform in real professional environments.

There has been a natural progression throughout my experience. State Personnel gave me a foundation in state government, recruiting, and workforce development. EDAA opened the door to economic development. Commerce has allowed me to work directly on Business Development projects, and GEDI has expanded my knowledge and professional network within the field. Huntingdon has provided the academic foundation and flexibility that tie those experiences together.

Being able to build my education and career simultaneously means I am not waiting until graduation to begin preparing for the professional world. I am already gaining the education, project experience, professional relationships, communication skills, and economic development knowledge that I hope will prepare me for graduate school and the next level of my career. Completing GEDI was also a major personal achievement for me. Being one of the youngest people in the room made the experience especially meaningful and reinforced my belief that age does not determine the impact you can have when you are willing to work, learn, and take advantage of the opportunities in front of you.

HC News: What are your next steps while at Huntingdon and after graduation in May?

Isaiah: My next steps are to continue developing professionally with the Alabama Department of Commerce while completing my education. I plan to graduate from Huntingdon College in May 2027 with my degree in business administration and then complete my MBA at Auburn University at Montgomery.

Professionally, I want to continue growing in economic development, strengthen my project management and leadership experience, and take on greater responsibility for projects that bring investment, jobs, and long-term opportunities to Alabama.

Looking further ahead, I hope to eventually serve in a major leadership role in economic development, whether that means leading an economic development organization, one day serving as Alabama’s Secretary of Commerce, or potentially taking my experience to Washington, D.C., and working at the national level.

Those are long-term goals, but the experiences, education, and relationships I am building now are giving me a strong foundation to continue working toward them.

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