Linda Cruz-Carnall

Regional Director

Linda Cruz-Carnall serves as the Regional Director of EDA’s Philadelphia Regional Office. Linda Cruz-Carnall was appointed Regional Director of the Philadelphia Regional Office in December 2015. She leads a staff of economic development professionals in the oversight and management of the region's operations, competitive and discretionary federal economic development funding, and outreach covering federal regions I, II, and III extending from Maine to the Virginias, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Linda joined EDA in March 1988 as Regional Counsel to the Philadelphia Regional Office, providing legal oversight and administrative expertise to the EDA staff and stakeholders. She has provided expertise in implementing a variety of new initiatives, including EDA’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship initiative and the Regional Integration practice through Regional Economic Diversification Summits and Federal Interagency Resource Exchanges. Most recently, she has led regional office collaborative engagements with the Northern Border forest and Appalachian coal-impacted communities, and communities diversifying as a result of nuclear plant decommissioning. She serves as a regional representative of the White House Opportunity Revitalization Council, delivering outreach and collaborative support to federally-designated Opportunity Zones.

She is actively engaged in EDA’s delivery of CARES COVID-19 pandemic recovery assistance, American Recue Plan funding, and disaster recovery and resiliency services, including Disaster Supplemental competitive funding to mainland communities and island territories impacted by federally-declared disasters.

Linda is a native Philadelphian, holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Villanova University School of Law.