About
Tarsha Hearns, MBA, EDP, is a nationally recognized entrepreneurship ecosystem strategist and economic development leader with more than two decades of experience designing initiatives that strengthen local economies. As Founder and Principal of Economic Growth Strategies, a Dallas-based consultancy, where their work helps communities build entrepreneur-focused programs that expand business formation,improve resource access, and drive inclusive economic growth. Tarsha is an IEDC Certified Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development Practitioner and serves on the IEDC Membership Committee. She is also a national trainer and facilitator with the International Business Innovation Association and IEDC, supporting ecosystem-building cohorts and serves on the ESHIP Alliance Leadership Council, a national organization for ecosystem building.
In North Texas, Tarsha has shaped major entrepreneurship and capital-access initiatives, including the SBA Community Navigator Pilot Program, Dallas Collaborative for Capital Access and the Southern Dallas Guarantee Fund, a place-based credit enhancement strategy expanding lending opportunities in historically disinvested communities. Her leadership has strengthened entrepreneurship infrastructure across the Dallas–Fort Worth region and delivered resources, mentorship, and funding pathways to thousands of business owners.
A serial entrepreneur herself, she founded The Marketing Lady, LLC, and authored Making an Impact: How to Build a Powerful Personal Brand. Her work bridges entrepreneurship,economic development, and community engagement to help ecosystems—and the entrepreneurs within them—thrive.
