Prayas Neupane serves as MCEDC’s Director of Economic Development, focusing on bringing new companies to the county. He is also the primary point of contact for site selectors. Prayas brings a wealth of experience in economic development, having recently served as the Director of Business Attraction and Expansion for the Washington, DC. Economic Partnership. In that capacity, he led efforts to attract new companies to the nation’s capital and helped develop Business Retention & Expansion efforts geared towards strengthening the business ecosystem, advancing inclusive prosperity and fostering economic growth in the District.

Previously, Prayas was a Program Director for Enterprise Advisors, where he developed a socio-economic development business line to assist cities in taking an inclusive and equitable approach to economic growth. His experience includes working as a Neighborhood Business Manager for the City of Boston, Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, where he led the City’s efforts to support local, minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE), and build its capacity to pursue contracting opportunities. Prayas also led the City’s Food Truck program, providing one-on-one technical assistance for a wide variety of businesses.

Prayas has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Richmond, and continued his studies to obtain a Master of Arts at Brandeis University in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. He is an active member of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).