Christie Marcella is the Economic Development Manager for the City of Carlsbad where she manages a program focused on business expansion, attraction and retention; downtown revitalization; and the talent attraction brand Life in Action®. Carlsbad is the second largest tech hub in the San Diego region, with strong industry clusters in Life Sciences, Tech and Action Sports. Christie has worked for six years with the city and increasingly sees the strong link between transportation and talent attraction. Born and raised in New York State, Christie completed her undergraduate work in International Economics at The George Washington University and completed her Master’s in Urban Planning at Columbia University. She has project management experience in software deployment, community outreach and engagement as well as transportation planning.