Shad Burner is the Director of Federal Initiatives for the Missouri Department of Economic Development. In this role he is charged with building a team to oversee the deployment of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal Covid relief funds flowing through the department. In 2021, Governor Parson appointed Shad to serve as Missouri’s State Designee to the Delta Regional Authority.
Prior to this role, Burner served as the Southeast Regional Manager for the Missouri Department of Economic Development where he managed dozens of projects representing thousands of new jobs, hundreds of millions in private investment, and millions in grant dollars for community infrastructure.
Before joining DED, Shad served as the Director of Alumni Services at Southeast Missouri State University, the VP of Business Development at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, and most recently as VP of Business Development and investor at carGO, a ride-share and delivery startup.
Shad is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), a 2020 Delta Leadership Institute graduate, and a 2021 graduate of Missouri Leadership Academy. He sits on the board of the Missouri Technology Corporation and serves on the board of the Missouri Economic Development Council. Shad holds a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Southeast Missouri State University.
Shad and his wife, Layne, live in Cape Girardeau with their two children, Kaydence and Lennon.
