Doug McDonald Returns to Plano as Economic Development Director

Doug McDonald is returning to the City of Plano to serve our community as Director of Economic Development.

Doug worked for the City of Plano from 2013 to 2018 as Comprehensive Planning Manager and Senior Planner, before leaving to work at the City of Richardson.

His accomplishments in Richardson are numerous and outstanding. Doug has been acting as interim Executive Director for the Richardson Economic Development Partnership in addition to his position as Managing Director for the city’s Office of Innovation. He has been instrumental in the creation of the Richardson Innovation Quarter as well as their transit oriented development/redevelopment efforts along the DART red-line. Most recently, he has worked with UT Dallas and other entrepreneur-supported entities on new programs to support Richardson’s startups and small businesses. 

A native North Texan, Doug’s extensive experience in local municipal government spans nearly 15 years, including positions in Arlington and Keller. His wide array of management experience includes overseeing economic development, project management, long range and neighborhood planning, historic preservation, and cross-sector partnerships focused on shared business development efforts.

Doug has a bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech, two masters from University of Texas at Arlington in Urban Planning and Public Administration, and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute. He is a former president of the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association.

Doug will start his new position on September 26. We enthusiastically welcome Doug back to Team Plano.