Robert Allen is President and CEO of Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership (FWEDP). A husband, father, and former Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Greg Abbott, Allen most recently served as President and CEO of the Texas Economic Development Corporation (TxEDC).

During his six years leading TxEDC, Robert spearheaded initiatives that advanced the organization’s mission to market Texas as the best state for business, including major international business missions to Japan, India and Europe. His organization’s efforts have helped catapult Texas to a record-breaking number of Governor’s Cups as awarded by Site Selection Magazine. With Texas now home to the most Fortune 500 headquarters in America, Robert launched efforts at TxEDC to showcase all that Texas continues to offer to businesses.

Allen built relationships with top executives and created a dialogue among them to share information between industries. Additionally, under Robert’s leadership, TxEDC hosted many premier events featuring industry executives from across the state, he has spoken at economic development conferences, and alongside his team, he raised nearly $20M to promote Texas and support the day-to-day activities of TxEDC.

Prior to joining TxEDC, Robert served the State of Texas for 14 years, most recently as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Greg Abbott, where he managed the daily administration and operation of the 250-employee agency, and, prior to that, in several executive roles under former Attorney General Greg Abbott.