St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer is handing the city’s high-stakes deal-making portfolio to a familiar face at City Hall, naming longtime development insider Stephen Davis as her new chief economic development officer.
The cabinet-level post is charged with steering big-ticket projects, syncing public incentives with private capital and trying to make sure those dollars actually touch neighborhoods that have waited a long time for investment.
Spencer’s Pick And The Charge
“Stephen brings a proven track record of facilitating catalytic investments and building the collaborative partnerships necessary to drive St. Louis’s economic future,” Spencer said in announcing the hire. She has tasked him with advising on business conditions and acting as a point person between the city and employers, developers and civic leaders, according to First Alert 4. The announcement also names Davis as chair of the St. Louis Development Corporation’s board, putting him at the center of major economic projects across the city.
A City Insider
Davis is not coming in cold. He has served as vice president of strategic partnerships and initiatives at the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) since 2022 and previously worked there as a major project manager, according to St. Louis Development Corporation. SLDC staff listings show Davis as a primary contact for business retention, coordinating federal, state and local partners to keep employers in the city and support expansions.
Why The Post Exists
The chief economic development officer role itself is a relatively new piece of the City Hall puzzle. It was created as part of an August 15, 2025 reorganization of the Mayor’s Office that pulled the city’s economic work under a single cabinet position and tasked SLDC with running the search, according to the City of St. Louis. That reshuffle framed everything from post-pandemic recovery to development incentives as part of one mayor-led strategy focused on “inclusive growth” across neighborhoods.
What Davis Said And His Resume
Davis said he is “honored to support Mayor Spencer’s administration in strengthening our competitive position and ensuring that our economic growth benefits every neighborhood in our city,” according to the mayor’s announcement, as reported by First Alert 4. The outlet notes he holds an MBA from Webster University and a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University, and that he previously worked for the Missouri Department of Economic Development while leading SLDC’s business-retention efforts.
What To Watch Next
Davis steps into the job as SLDC is rolling out its Strategic Growth reorganization alongside an Economic Justice Action Plan, which the agency says is backed by roughly $112 million in federal recovery funds to scale programs through 2026, according to St. Louis Development Corporation. That puts the new chief economic development officer in the middle of decisions about where, and how fast, those dollars move.
Developers, neighborhood groups and aldermen will be tracking whether Spencer’s new structure translates into quicker approvals and more visible projects in long-neglected corners of the city. By picking a well-known insider to run point, the mayor is betting that familiarity can speed up the deals without leaving vulnerable neighborhoods behind.
