Meet the YCDA Team
Who We Are
Joe Schmitt, Economic Development Manager
Jon Smith, Executive Director
Yani Cisneros, Bilingual Business Development Manager
Meet the YCDA Team
Jonathan Smith
Executive Director
Jon joined our team in 2015.
Jon is a Certified Economic Developer with sixteen years of rural economic development experience. His key accomplishments include successful recruitment of national and international companies and assisting local businesses with expansions and exporting projects. In total, Smith has helped over twenty-five companies locate or expand new operations. These companies have invested over $1.6 billion in facilities and equipment and have created approximately 1,700 jobs.
Jon also has experience with infrastructure development and has helped secure over $40 million of grant and loan funding for job-creating projects. This includes funding for rail, water, sewer, roads, and electrical infrastructure.
Some of Jon’s most rewarding work has been coordinating workforce development programs between businesses and educational institutions. These training programs result in hundreds of local residents receiving the training and skills they need to be successful in local family-wage jobs. Additionally, Jon has worked with small businesses and rural communities to help develop main streets and spur business growth in distressed areas.
Smith is a past chair of the Washington Economic Development Association and a board member of the South Central Workforce Development Council and Yakima SHRM, the local professional HR Association and serves on the Transportation Policy Board at the Yakima Valley Conference of Governments. He has a Master’s Degree in Communication & Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Communication with a minor in Economics from the University of Idaho.
Joe Schmitt
Economic Development Manager
Joe joined our team in 2015.
Joe brings over a decade of experience driving economic growth and investment in the region. He leads initiatives aimed at attracting new industries and supporting business expansion throughout Yakima County.
His efforts are primarily focused on site readiness and the recruitment of manufacturing, logistics, ag-tech, and other industrial employers. In this role, Joe collaborates closely with site selectors, corporate executives, local governments, and industry stakeholders to actively promote Yakima County’s strategic advantages to targeted industries nationwide. Notable recent recruitment projects include Northwest Harvest, Manzana Products Co., Windmill Farms, and Pacific Ag Renewables. Collectively, these projects represent over $340 million in capital investment and will create an estimated 400 new jobs in the region.
Joe has also overseen the administration of more than $35 million in infrastructure investments through Yakima County’s Supporting Investment in Economic Development (SIED) program. Notable projects include infrastructure supporting industrial development in the Port of Sunnyside, Vintage Valley Parkway in Zillah, the Mill Site in the City of Yakima, Yakima County’s East-West Corridor, and the Union Gap Beltway. These large infrastructure projects ready hundreds of acres for diverse development, securing a robust site inventory and sustained economic growth for the future.
Yani Cisneros
Bilingual Business Development Manager
Yani joined our team in 2020.
She worked tirelessly to provide small business relief grants to businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and administered over $13 million in grant funding to support local recovery efforts. Cisneros brings three years of bilingual advertising experience and more than seven years of experience working directly with small business owners in the Yakima Valley.
Following the administration of over $13 million in grant funding, Yani transitioned to the position of Bilingual Business Development Manager. In this role, Yani leads the development and implementation of YCDA’s accelerator programs, including industry-specific initiatives that support business sustainability, expansion, and long-term growth. She works closely with small business owners seeking to scale or expand their operations, connecting them to funding opportunities, workforce resources, and tailored technical assistance, and equipping entrepreneurs with the tools needed to build competitive, resilient businesses.
Jonathan Smith
Executive Director
Jon joined our team in 2015.
Jon is a Certified Economic Developer with sixteen years of rural economic development experience. His key accomplishments include successful recruitment of national and international companies and assisting local businesses with expansions and exporting projects. In total, Smith has helped over twenty-five companies locate or expand new operations. These companies have invested over $1.6 billion in facilities and equipment and have created approximately 1,700 jobs.
Jon also has experience with infrastructure development and has helped secure over $40 million of grant and loan funding for job-creating projects. This includes funding for rail, water, sewer, roads, and electrical infrastructure.
Some of Jon’s most rewarding work has been coordinating workforce development programs between businesses and educational institutions. These training programs result in hundreds of local residents receiving the training and skills they need to be successful in local family-wage jobs. Additionally, Jon has worked with small businesses and rural communities to help develop main streets and spur business growth in distressed areas.
Smith is a past chair of the Washington Economic Development Association and a board member of the South Central Workforce Development Council, Yakima SHRM, the local professional HR Association and serves on the Transportation Policy Board at Yakima Valley Conference of Governments. He has a Master’s Degree in Communication & Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Communication with a minor in Economics from the University of Idaho.
Joe Schmitt
Economic Development Manager
Joe joined our team in 2015.
Joe brings over a decade of experience driving economic growth and investment in the region. He leads initiatives aimed at attracting new industries and supporting business expansion throughout Yakima County.
His efforts are primarily focused on site readiness and the recruitment of manufacturing, logistics, ag-tech, and other industrial employers. In this role, Joe collaborates closely with site selectors, corporate executives, local governments, and industry stakeholders to actively promote Yakima County’s strategic advantages to targeted industries nationwide. Notable recent recruitment projects include Northwest Harvest, Manzana Products Co., Windmill Farms, and Pacific Ag Renewables. Collectively, these projects represent over $340 million in capital investment and will create an estimated 400 new jobs in the region.
Joe has also overseen the administration of more than $35 million in infrastructure investments through Yakima County’s Supporting Investment in Economic Development (SIED) program. Notable projects include infrastructure supporting industrial development in the Port of Sunnyside, Vintage Valley Parkway in Zillah, the Mill Site in the City of Yakima, Yakima County’s East-West Corridor, and the Union Gap Beltway. These large infrastructure projects ready hundreds of acres for diverse development, securing a robust site inventory and sustained economic growth for the future.
Yani Cisneros
Bilingual Business Development Manager
Yani joined our team in 2020.
She worked tirelessly to provide small business relief grants to businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and administered over $13 million in grant funding to support local recovery efforts. Cisneros brings three years of bilingual advertising experience and more than seven years of experience working directly with small business owners in the Yakima Valley.
Following the administration of over $13 million in grant funding, Yani transitioned to the position of Bilingual Business Development Manager. In this role, Cisneros leads the development and implementation of YCDA’s accelerator programs, including industry-specific initiatives that support business sustainability, expansion, and long-term growth. She works closely with small business owners seeking to scale or expand their operations, connecting them to funding opportunities, workforce resources, and tailored technical assistance, and equipping entrepreneurs with the tools needed to build competitive, resilient businesses.
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