Since assuming leadership of ETEC in 1995, Jim has led the organization to become one of the most effective in the country in supporting the local federal agenda, fostering economic spinoff opportunities, and developing strong regional partners,” said Bob Van Hook, past ETEC chairman.

“Jim has been for many years the leader of Oak Ridge’s highly successful efforts to develop a common set of federal funding priorities among the contractors and community leaders.

He has made ETEC one of the most dynamic organizations of its kind anywhere. Visitors are amazed that 150 to 200 people gather for ETEC’s morning programs at 7:30 a.m. every Friday,” added Homer Fisher, also a past chairman of ETEC.

Prior to joining ETEC, Campbell served in various positions at The Oak Ridger, Oak Ridge’s daily newspaper founded at the end of the Manhattan Project.

He was editor of the newspaper from 1987 to 1994.

During that time, he was also a contributing editor to the Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy, a publication of the University of Tennessee’s Energy, Environment and Research Center.

An Oak Ridge resident for over 30 years, Campbell has assisted in the publication of two books on Oak Ridge history.

Campbell is a graduate of Maryville College and the University of Oregon. He has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in economic history.

Campbell is a past chairman of the United Way of Anderson County, and has served on the boards for the American Museum of Science and Energy, the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, the Oak Ridge Sister City Support Group, and Tech 20/20.

The East Tennessee Economic Council is a nonprofit membership organization that focuses on bringing people together to create new opportunities for federal research, national security and environmental programs, and to support technology transfer and economic development programs.

In 1973, amidst increasing stress on the federal programs in Oak Ridge, the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC) was chartered as the Roane Anderson Economic Council (R-AEC) to meet a growing need at the original Manhattan Project site.

The Atomic Energy Commission, which largely operated the community of Oak Ridge until its incorporation in 1960, was transitioning to what ultimately became the Department of Energy (DOE), and as the community evolved and began to self-govern, it was looking for news ways to attract commercial and industrial business to the city and region.

Leaders from the business community - notably Eugene Joyce, Tom Hill and Don Maxwell - established R-AEC as a forum for federal officials and their contractors to discuss and prioritize programs.

The organization's purpose was "to promote regional development of the two-county area, to explore broad opportunities for growth, particularly in the multi-billion dollar field of energy technology . . . It is also concerned with informed political representation at the state and federal levels and the need for unified action toward common political goals." Today, the same missions influence the work of ETEC.

U.S._Capitol_Building_at_NightR-AEC contracted with consultants in Washington, D.C. to advise on specific programs, and industry recruitment focused on companies that had a connection to Oak Ridge via local DOE contracts, programs,or advanced technology from the federal facilities. Economic development in the government town meant building relationships with federal and state officials and trips to D.C. and Nashville.

Conversely, many political and elected representatives traveled to Oak Ridge. R-AEC strategically balanced its platform of work, supporting large government projects in the area - such as the Clinch River Breeder Reactor - while preserving the DOE's economic development assistance programs, including the transfer of land and technology.

In the early 1990's, R-AEC was re-positioned under the umbrella of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. It retained an independent financial status, but the leadership was transferred to the Chamber executive director. During that time, R-AEC served as the community reuse organization for East Tennessee, broadening its organizational scope to include five East Tennessee counties and changing its name to reflect the expansion.

Now ETEC, the organization worked diligently to find new uses for the K-25 Site, collaborating with DOE and the contracting community to develop a reindustrialization program.

While continuing to transition land no longer required for federal missions, ETEC - with significant support from DOE - created Technology 2020, a public-private partnership to incubate high-technology industry.

Other major issues in the 1990s included: securing future missions for the Y-12 National Security Complex; developing a new research facility for Oak Ridge National Laboratory (now the Spallation Neutron Source); and expediting clean-up programs at each of the local DOE sites.

ETEC_Blue_StillToday, ETEC is an independent, regional, non-profit membership organization dedicated to supporting the federal government's missions in Oak Ridge as well as encouraging new opportunities to fully utilize the highly-skilled talent, cutting-edge technologies and unique facilities that make up the federal reservation.

ETEC still works in strong partnership with federal contractors, Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration representatives, state officials, small businesses, and other local economic development organizations to seek new ways to use federal investments in science and security to create prosperity, promote regional development, and explore opportunities for growth.

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