Raymond Gonzales
Raymond H. Gonzales - President
Raymond H. Gonzales is the President and CEO of Brighton Economic Development Corporation. Working together with the city’s Redevelopment, Economic Development and Community Resources Office (REDCo), Mr. Gonzales is charged with a unique role as the liaison between the public and private sectors. In his role with the BEDC, Mr. Gonzaels is responsible for attracting new industry, business and investments to the City of Brighton.
Prior to his appointment, Raymond served as Deputy Cabinet Secretary of Labor under New Mexico’s Governor, Bill Richardson. He was charged with restructuring New Mexico’s workforce system in an effort to meet current and emerging needs of businesses and employers. He partnered with other state agencies to help create a long-term collaborative strategic direction for Workforce, Economic Development, Education and Higher Education.
Prior to his appointment as Deputy Secretary, Raymond served as a Federal Representative for the United States Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration where he provided leadership, oversight, policy guidance and technical assistance for employment and training programs. During his time there, he served as the lead for the National Business Learning Project, a national peer-to-peer mentoring project designed for workforce investment boards engaged in transformational approaches to workforce investment. He also served as a Federal Partner in the Denver Workforce Innovation Regional Economic Development Initiative, which aims to expand employment and advancement opportunities for American workers and spur the creation of high skill and high wage opportunities throughout the country. With eleven years of federal experience Raymond is considered an expert on workforce programs.
From 1996-2000, Raymond was a Regional Administrative Officer for the United States Peace Corps, where he assumed full responsibility of financial, budgetary, and accounting operations for a five state regional office. He began his civil service career with the Educational Opportunity Center where he worked to create post-secondary educational and training opportunities for disadvantaged youth in Adams County, Colorado.
Raymond was born and raised in Brighton, Colorado. He received his B.S. in Accounting from Regis University.
