The Indy Partnership has officially named one of its own to lead the regional economic development organization.

The group officially announced on Tuesday that Scott Fulford will take over as new executive director. IBJ reported the move Feb. 15.

His appointment became effective March 1.

Fulford, a member of Indy Partnership’s business development team, joined the organization in 2006. He previously spent more than 30 years working for Cinergy (now Duke Energy), where he served as a marketing manager in its economic development department.  

He also spent two years as a “loaned executive” with the Indiana Economic Development Corp., where he served as director of the Central Indiana region working primarily with existing companies to expand and grow their Indiana operations.  

Fulford succeeds Ron Gifford, who left to become executive vice president for policy at Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, an alliance of CEOs and university presidents that absorbed Indy Partnership in 2007.

Indy Partnership, which represents the nine-county metropolitan area, announced in February that it and Develop Indy, the city’s economic development initiative, were merging operations. The consolidation was complete at the end of the month.