Rose Washington was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s head office Board of Directors on January 1, 2017.  Before joining the Kansas City head office Board in 2013, she served one term on the Oklahoma City Branch Board of Directors.   She is chief executive officer of the Tulsa Economic Development Corporation (TEDC).  TEDC was founded in 1979 to promote and sustain small business growth in the Tulsa region.  As a certified community development financial institution, TEDC has assisted thousands of small businesses with start-up or expansion in the last thirty years.  The organization makes or facilitates loans ranging from $5,000 to $10 million using public and private funds, owns and operates a 17,000 square feet retail center in one of Tulsa's underserved areas, hosts a technology-focused business incubator in its downtown Tulsa office, and is working on developing 35 acres of industrial land dormant more than 40 years.

Before joining TEDC as executive director in 2001, Ms. Washington was assistant vice president and director of the University of Southern California’s Division of External Relations.  She was previously special assistant to the dean and director of placement at Jackson State University School of Business, and was an officer at Trustmark National Bank in Jackson, Mississippi.

Ms. Washington serves on several committees and is actively involved with the following boards: Tulsa Regional Chamber, Indian Nations Council Boy Scouts of America, i2E Inc., Drexel Academy, Blue Cross Blue Shield Oklahoma, AAA Club Alliance, New Markets Redevelopment LLC and The Forge business incubator.  Ms. Washington has received a host of honors and awards including being named SBA Oklahoma Minority Small Business Champion, Tulsa Regional Chamber Financial Services Champion, Women of Color Corporate Woman of the Year and Woman of Distinction by the Tulsa Business Journal.  She holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from Mississippi State University and an MBA from Mississippi College. 

Learn more about Ms. Washington in TEN Magazine.