Craig Lesser is the Chairman of the Pendleton Group, which provides governmental affairs, economic development and strategic communications counsel to governments and businesses.
Lesser served as Georgia’s Commissioner of Economic Development from 2004 to 2007, where he directed efforts to recruit new businesses, expand existing business es and increase Georgia’s global trade and tourism revenues . During Lesser’s tenure as c ommissioner, the department he led was responsible for more than $8 B in new investment in Georgia, including the Kia Motors assembly plant in West Point, Georgia.
He oversaw the expansion of Georgia’s international presence, expanding the state’s international representatives to 10. During this period, he also served as president of Hemisphere, Inc., a public - private partnership that led efforts to bring the Secretariat of the proposed Free Trade Agreement of the Americas.
Lesser has served in numerous leadership roles in business, the me dia, and government. He was as a managing director of McKenna Long & Aldridge, where he led its international affairs consulting group. He served in key executive leadership roles at Southern Company and its subsidiaries, including vice president of govern ment and regulatory affairs for Georgia Power Company, president and CEO of Mirant - New York , and senior vice president of external affairs at Mirant - Americas.
Recently, he was awarded the Medallion of the Governor General of Canada for his efforts to pre serve strong business and economic ties between the U.S. and Canada. Mr. Lesser has lectured on economic development at universities and seminars around the world, including China, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, England, Honduras, El Salvador , Ecuador and the UN in Geneva , Switzerland.