Carla Walker

Carla Walker is the President and CEO of think BIG strategies, llc, a project management consulting firm she founded after nearly two decades managing projects for government, private and not-for-profit organizations at the local, state, national and international levels. From 2005-2010, she was the Chief of Staff to Cincinnati Mayor Mallory where she worked on economic development, environment, international, tourism and public safety initiatives.  She formed think BIG to continue bringing her big picture perspective to projects that affect change.  Current projects include programming for an international non-partisan organization, the communications strategy for a new region wide resource publication, and the strategic planning process for an international nonprofit citizen diplomacy network.

One of her BIG projects is the creation of the Economic Development Committee for the Cincinnati USA 2012 World Choir Games. She and Co-Chair Shau Zavon, President of the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber of Commerce, began the committee as an outgrowth of their 2009-2010 Leadership Cincinnati project that examined how the region can prepare itself for the Games - the largest event in the city's history which expects to bring over 200,000 visitors to the area for what is being billed as the Olympics of choral competition.  They formed the Committee with the belief that Greater Cincinnati can build on its already strong global market placement by leveraging the Games beyond the event and use them as a "catalytic" opportunity to broadcast our business assets to the world.  The focus is beyond the short term economic boost that will be realized during the 2012 Games and capturing the attention and interest of foreign businesses. The Committee's first task was organizing a business development delegation around this year's World Choir Games in Shaoxing, China.  Carla is no stranger to planning delegations like this having worked with Sister Cities for several years as well as her work with Bono and the ONE campaign where she led 100 delegates from across the country to Edinburgh, Scotland for the 2005 G8 Summit.

Carla lives in Mt. Auburn and is an active community member as Board member for Cincinnati Opera, Peaslee Neighborhood Center, and the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission.  She is a national Board member for Sister Cities International.