In her previous role as President at the Rockford Area Economic Development Council she created and implemented innovative approaches to strategic planning for economic development. Fadden facilitated a collaborative approach to regional economic development work.  In eight years, the results of this collaborative work resulted in the retention or creation of 18,700 jobs, $1,300M of capital investment and occupation of 13M square feet of development.

Fadden also served in various capacities as President, Vice President, and General Manager for major multinational corporations including Honeywell, General Signal, Applied Power, Pacific Scientific, and Danaher.  She is experienced in lean management and leadership which resulted in many achievements over her corporate career.

Fadden earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and Management from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, and her Master of Business Administration degree from Northern Illinois University. The Purdue Center for Regional Development certified her in Strategic Doing, a breakthrough process for doing more together.