Seattle, Wash. (March 14, 2024) – Greater Seattle Partners (GSP) today announced the appointment of Yelena Kalashnikova to Marketing Director and Victoria DePalma to Research Manager. Both will report to GSP’s COO, Rebecca Lovell.
“We are thrilled to expand our team with these incredible hires,” Rebecca shared. “Yelena and Victoria’s expertise in storytelling and robust research and data are critical to driving equitable, sustainable economic development for our region.”
Yelena Kalashnikova will be responsible for leading marketing, public relations, advertising, and social media to further grow and enhance Greater Seattle’s global reputation. In her 14 years’ experience since earning her degree in public relations and advertising, Yelena has developed her expertise as a digital marketer and content strategist within the field of economic development and in roles withing our region’s key industry sectors. Starting her career with the Orlando Economic Partnership, she moved to Seattle 10 years ago and has held public relations and marketing roles with Windstar Cruises, Microsoft and most recently, NanoString Technologies.
“I feel privileged to re-engage with the field of economic development and committed to contribute to Greater Seattle Partners and our collaborative network. In my role as Marketing Director, I am dedicated to elevating our region’s profile as a hub for uncommon thinkers. This will be achieved through compelling narratives, strategic marketing grounded in research, and tactics that consistently deliver measurable results,” said Yelena.
Victoria DePalma is an interdisciplinary researcher with a PhD in environmental science and a focus on behavioral economics, sustainability and social ecology. With ten years of experience in research and teaching, her particular strengths include persuasive presentations, rigorous survey work, stakeholder engagement via focus groups, and end-to-end primary research. She has published in several peer-reviewed journals in the social sciences. With an undergraduate degree from Whitworth and doctorate from the University of Idaho, she took on research and teaching roles in South Carolina and Oregon but is originally from Tacoma and delighted to return to the region. She is passionate about the pursuit of sustainable development, collaboration, and the perfect cup of coffee.
“I am so excited to be joining the team at GSP as Research Manager to play an essential role in how we will grow, support, and highlight economic development opportunities in the Greater Seattle region. By creating actionable insights and deliverables, we aim to communicate the unique and compelling story of the region and serve as a resource for local and international communities,” said Victoria.
Rebecca adds: “We couldn’t be more excited about the combined expertise, collaborative approach and thought leadership that Victoria and Yelena bring to the team. We are well-positioned to amplify our Uncommon Thinkers Welcome branding campaign, and to expand both our data-driven storytelling and our strategic efforts to bring values-aligned jobs, talent and investment to our region.”
ABOUT GREATER SEATTLE PARTNERS
Greater Seattle Partners (GSP) is a public-private partnership that leads regional economic development through global business attraction, site selection and investment and trade opportunities in the greater Seattle region. GSP collaborates with community and economic development partners to ensure that every person in the Puget Sound region has the opportunity to prosper. We strive to attract and retain quality family/living wage jobs across all communities of the region. Throughout the world we tell the story of our talent, pioneering spirit, unique communities, and quality of life. For more information visit Greater-Seattle.com.