Executive Coach

Wes Jurey

President and CEO, Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce · Chairman, Texas Workforce Investment Council

“All of you need to own the goals collectively and consensually, I need to own the plan to achieve the goals, and then we work together to implement it.”
Wes Jurey

Connect on LinkedIn

Experience

Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce Texas Workforce Investment Council

$1B+: State, federal assistance secured
$100M: Federal award won for El Paso
260+: Organizations in his Dallas project
8: State agencies in workforce plan

Expertise

For more than 50 years, Wes has held seats that required independent organizations to act on one plan. He has merged competing economic development groups into one chamber, brought the agencies of a state workforce system under one statewide plan, and taken over a nonprofit council in debt. He asks a board to own the goals before he accepts the job, and he owns the plan himself. In his words, he will "bend over backwards" for a staff member, then "bend over backwards again" before he turns directive.

Industry

Wes works in nonprofit management, chambers of commerce, and state and federal workforce policy. Over more than 50 years he has served as a pastor, Scout executive, chamber president in two cities, state workforce council chairman, and nonprofit chief executive. The Dallas project he is building now includes more than 260 organizations.

Specialties

Merging competing nonprofits or economic development groups
Aligning several agencies behind one statewide plan
Turning around a nonprofit carrying heavy debt
Winning state and federal funding for community programs
Coaching a CEO promoted from the nonprofit's own board

Career history

01 of 10

Pastor, Methodist Church in Ames, Oklahoma

In their own words

Proudest accomplishment?

Probably the biggest two would be turning El Paso around and turning Arlington around by getting 300 organizations to work together.

Best advice he'd give?

Know what you can do, and never overpromise and underdeliver. Reach out, find mentors who will give you some of their time, and their expertise and their knowledge.

About Wes

Now I feel like I'm making a difference, either in people's lives or in the world I live in. That's what drives me, and that's why I went back to work and unretired myself.

Career highlights

Has secured over $1 billion in state and federal assistance across a career in economic, workforce, and community development.
El Paso won one of ten federal awards of $100 million each over a decade, after Wes took about 80 residents to Washington.
Chaired the Texas Workforce Investment Council, which oversees development of the statewide strategic plan for the 8 state agencies in the Texas Workforce System.
The Dallas project he has built over six years includes more than 260 organizations, among them ten state agencies and four federal agencies.
In El Paso, merged five nonprofit economic development organizations, then absorbed the city and county economic development corporations into one chamber of commerce.

Based in

Arlington, Texas

Would Wes be the right match?

Tell us about the leader and the situation. If Wes is not the fit, one of the other coaches will be.

Schedule a Consultation

See all Executive Coaches

Office: 405-286-2816

Coaching leaders across North America.