An economic development professional for more than 30 years, Sue Walker brings a unique range of experiences to a variety of marketing initiatives. Her economic development activities in both large and smaller communities have generated great success throughout her career.

Sue was a resident of Austin for over 30 years and a small business owner. For 10 years, she played a key role in Austin’s economic development marketing at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce specializing in the recruitment of semiconductor and related industries. In 1996, she joined an international economic development consulting firm, AngelouEconomics, also in Austin.

In 2000, she worked as the marketing director for Temple (TX) Economic Development Corporation where she helped bring 2 new retail developments, a 3 restaurant development project, began an initiative for a small business development center with Temple College, and developed the plan for the city’s purchase of the vacant 500,000 SF/500-acre former Texas Instruments facility.

In 2003, Sue was hired to direct retail development initiatives at the Richardson Chamber of Commerce and to assist with technology recruitment efforts. During a 13-year career at RCC, her efforts to bring attention to Richardson and by working with shopping center owners and leasing agents resulted in over 50% of Richardson’s shopping centers being renovated or remodeled and attracted more than more than 150 new restaurants to Richardson.

Since her retirement from the Chamber in 2016, Sue has worked as a consultant with a Dallas-based economic development consulting firm, a local software company, and a local franchise of a co-working facility.

She has been a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) for 20 years, served as chair of the national P3/Alliance program which fosters dialogue between retail developers and the public sector, and currently serves on the P3/Alliance Advisory Board.

Sue’s paternal grandparents immigrated from Sant’Agata di Militello, Sicily to Cleveland, OH in the early 1900’s. She grew up in Chicago’s north suburbs where her dad, Joe Giallombardo, was the gymnastics coach at New Trier HS. He was the Italian-American Athlete of the Year 1939-40, having won 7 national titles and led his University of Illinois gymnastics team to 2 national championships.

Sue majored in communications at Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas, and at The University of Texas at Austin and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma's IEDC Economic Development Institute.

She has 4 adult children and 10 grandchildren. Since 2013, Sue has traveled to Italy 7 times; twice to Sicily and has met several of her 2nd cousins who reside in her grandparents’ home town. She is working on her dual citizenship (JS) and plans to make additional visits to Sicily and other parts of Italy in the coming years.