Dayton, Ohio – The Greater Dayton IT Alliance (GDITA) Board of Trustees voted to enter into a partnership with the Dayton Development Coalition, which will include co-locating staff resources, creating a tighter alignment and execution of programs.

The partnership reflects an aggressive collaborative approach that is being driven by the organization’s three-year strategic plan to strengthen the region’s economic development focus on information technology.  “The decision for strategic alignment will make more effective use of the professional and board resources and increase access to funding and advocacy -- resulting in growth for the Greater Dayton Region,” stated Terry Rapoch, Board Chair of the Greater Dayton IT Alliance and CTO for daytaOhio, Ohio’s Wright Center for Data.  

Greater Dayton IT Alliance board members have been collaborating on the development of the Coalition’s15-year technology strategic plan which will include aerospace, human sciences, advanced manufacturing/materials, and advanced data management/information technology initiatives.  Future Third Frontier and federal funding opportunities are linked to the development of a comprehensive integrated regional strategy. Closer alignment within economic development organizations has been the direction of Ohio’s IT Alliance statewide partners in Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.

“We are encouraged by the actions of GDITA and excited to be partnering with them. While the Coalition’s set of stakeholders is extremely broad, GDITA focuses specifically on the information technology sector – which is both a functional sector and an enabling sector for other industries – both organizations have stated policy based on the IT sector as critical to the future growth of the Dayton Region.,” commented J.P. Nauseef, President & CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition.

The GDITA Board also voted to form a close working partnership with the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce to develop IT competencies and raise the IT IQ in the region through education and the initiation of IT-based special interest groups. The goal is to strengthen the knowledge and skills of information technology end users to better enable and expand businesses in the region.

According to Phil Parker, President & CEO of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, “The Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce seeks collaborative opportunities like this which benefit the members of the organizations and strengthen the overall business opportunities within the region. The Chamber recognizes the advantages of this partnership as information technology affects every business.”

The new Greater Dayton IT Alliance relationships will serve as a strong bridge between the existing industry base and the economic development opportunities in the information technology industry as well as other vertical industries that are highly dependent on IT as an enabler for growth.  

“These partnerships create a winning opportunity – foremost for the region but for the Greater Dayton IT Alliance, the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Dayton Development Coalition, as well,” Ann Gallaher, Chief Operating Officer of GDITA said. “We will be able to leverage complementary strengths to benefit the entire region more effectively.”
The Greater Dayton IT Alliance is dedicated to information technology (IT) related economic development, business retention and growth in the greater Dayton area. The organization is an industry-led, membership-driven organization made up of more than 230 member companies representing providers and users of information technology. GDITA membership is available to any technology provider or user.