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Name
Catalina Valencia
Title
Executive Director of Business Development for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)
Bio
Catalina Valencia is an expert in economic development, corporate location strategy and site selection, business & government relations, and international trade & development for both the public and private sector. In her present position as the Executive Director of Business Development for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, DEED, Catalina works with communities and businesses on building and growing their presence in Minnesota. With a passion for all the state has to offer and a keen sense of what it takes to make a business grow and thrive, Catalina leads a statewide team tasked with building a pipeline of business development opportunities for business attraction, retention, and expansion, and works closely with external partners to leverage relationships and resources to market and increase the visibility of Minnesota.
Prior to joining DEED, Catalina was Founding Principal of Terrafinder Consulting LLC, a corporate location strategy, economic development, and export development consultancy—where she advised both companies and communities worldwide. Before establishing Terrafinder, Catalina worked as a Senior Consultant at Global Location Strategies (GLS), where she consulted on capital and resource-intensive site selection projects and led economic development efforts. Earlier, she served as Business Development Director for Greenwood County, SC. Catalina has also held global marketing, business development and international development roles at the U.S. Soybean Export Council, Western Union, the Colombian Government Trade Bureau (ProColombia) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Catalina has a deep multisector background, and works across the Americas, Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.
Catalina earned a Master of International Affairs, Concentration: International Economic Policy & Latin America from Columbia University, and a Master of International Business in Colombia. Catalina also has a certification on Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University. She is fluent in English and Spanish.
Prior to joining DEED, Catalina was Founding Principal of Terrafinder Consulting LLC, a corporate location strategy, economic development, and export development consultancy—where she advised both companies and communities worldwide. Before establishing Terrafinder, Catalina worked as a Senior Consultant at Global Location Strategies (GLS), where she consulted on capital and resource-intensive site selection projects and led economic development efforts. Earlier, she served as Business Development Director for Greenwood County, SC. Catalina has also held global marketing, business development and international development roles at the U.S. Soybean Export Council, Western Union, the Colombian Government Trade Bureau (ProColombia) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Catalina has a deep multisector background, and works across the Americas, Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.
Catalina earned a Master of International Affairs, Concentration: International Economic Policy & Latin America from Columbia University, and a Master of International Business in Colombia. Catalina also has a certification on Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University. She is fluent in English and Spanish.
