The Monterey Bay region no longer just talks about competing for big-ticket investment — under one leader’s tenure, it actually started winning. Tahra Goraya’s departure from the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership marks the end of a run that transformed the tri-county area into a serious contender for federal and state dollars.
Regional Economic Outlook
Tahra Goraya at the CA Capital
Also worth a look: Marvin’s Durham window business tops BusinessRate’s 2026 supplier rankings and Altadena’s Tonia Homes prove disaster rebuilding can happen in months, not years.
Under Goraya, MBEP’s annual revenue grew to over $10 million, and it secured the region’s first federal Economic Development District designation in 15 years.
The Monterey Bay region proved it can compete with anyone for investment,” said Goraya. “That was never about one organization. It was about a region deciding to think bigger and act together.”— Tahra Goraya
MONTEREY BAY, CA, UNITED STATES, October 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Tahra Goraya, the chief executive who guided the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) through its most expansive chapter, has officially stepped down. During her time at the helm, the organization’s yearly budget climbed past $10 million, and she helped Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties become more attractive targets for large-scale federal, state, and philanthropic funding.
Goraya moved to the Monterey Bay area from Boston amid the pandemic, bringing a startup-style mindset to regional economic development. She pulled together an unusual coalition of government officials, business leaders, philanthropists, educators, community groups, and residents around priorities ranging from housing and broadband to workforce training, technology, agriculture, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, and advanced air mobility.
Key milestones from her leadership include:
- Federal recognition: She landed the region’s first federal Economic Development District designation in 15 years, a move that strengthened the area’s bid for federal money across county borders.
- State investment: She secured the $7.45 million California Advanced Air Mobility Corridors Initiative from California Jobs First, putting the Central Coast on the map for advanced air mobility and unmanned aircraft systems. She also helped draw more than $106 million in California Public Utilities Commission broadband investment to the Monterey Bay region.
- Regional collaboration: Goraya co-convened Uplift Central Coast, the six-county California Jobs First collaborative that directed $9 million in predevelopment funding to 36 regional organizations. She also co-launched the Central Coast: Build to Prove What’s Next in Autonomous Systems and Advanced Air Mobility, a first-of-its-kind initiative in California, and convened Regions Rise Together, which created an investment blueprint for the tri-county area covering housing, childcare, jobs, and community power building. She launched the region’s first AI Summit and first Creative Economy Summit.
- Emerging industries: She co-founded the Monterey Bay Tech Hub, which helped secure a $2.21 million Jobs First grant for its Drones Uplifting California Communities initiative, and brought MBEP’s first farm robotics funding to the tri-county region for high school and community college students.
- Philanthropic partnerships: She secured major backing from the James Irvine Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Bank of America, with more than $3.175 million in tracked grants in 2025-26 alone.
- Financial sustainability: She established MBEP’s first unrestricted endowment, raising $400,000 at the organization’s first public fundraising event, which sold out.
- Inclusive leadership: She created the region’s first Regional Black Leadership Roundtable.
“The Monterey Bay region proved it can compete with anyone for federal, state, and philanthropic investment,” said Goraya. “That was never about one organization. It was about a region deciding to think bigger and act together. I am grateful to the partners, funders, and team members who made it possible.”
Beyond the measurable wins, Goraya raised the region’s visibility well beyond its usual footprint. She forged ties with state and federal policymakers, philanthropic groups, industry leaders, and the media, and grew MBEP’s public profile, including as a regular columnist for the Monterey Herald. As the organization scaled up, she expanded the staff and gave team members room to lead ambitious regional projects.
Now, Goraya is expanding Goraya Consulting, where she will advise regions, economic development groups, and philanthropic partners on federal and state competitiveness, emerging industry strategies in fields like advanced air mobility and artificial intelligence, early learning, and cross-sector coalition building. Her background spans civil rights, public health, early learning, and public policy.
“Regions across California and the country are competing for investment in the industries that will define the next economy,” Goraya said. “The ones that win organize early, build broad coalitions, and tell their story well. That is the work I intend to keep doing.”
Tahra Goraya is the founder of Goraya Consulting, commissioner for the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, and former president and CEO of Monterey Bay Economic Partnership. Tahra Goraya is a leader known for building cross-sector coalitions and translating public policy into community opportunity. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tahragoraya/ ###
michael browning
ICCED
+1 747-217-9258
Why it matters: Goraya’s exit raises the question of whether the Monterey Bay region can sustain the momentum she built — or whether the collaborative, cross-county approach she championed will fade without her at the center. The partnerships and funding streams she secured, however, leave a durable foundation that could keep the region competitive for years to come.
