North Carolina’s new Economic Development Partnership – a public-private group whose mission is to bring more jobs to the state – has hired a CEO to replace founding CEO Richard Lindenmuth.

Christopher Chung, a veteran economic developer, was named to the post on Monday.

Chung, 38, most recently founded and led a similar business development group in Missouri.

Lindenmuth, who was hired to help get the partnership off the ground by Gov. Pat McCrory and Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker, will continue to work with the EDPNC as a consultant.

“I am delighted and honored to join North Carolina’s campaign for economic growth, particularly at this pivotal time in the state’s approach to job creation and development,” Chung said in a statement.

“Competition for new business and corporate investment is fierce, and while North Carolina continues to be a national leader, we have to be innovative and aggressive as we approach every opportunity.’’

McCrory and Decker led the formation of the economic partnership, winning approval from the General Assembly to privatize some efforts of the state’s Commerce department.

The group, which is based in Cary, recently raised more than $250,000 from private sector donors, including Red Hat, Lenovo and Duke Energy.

It also named a board of directors including 17 members.

Chung will take over the CEO post on Jan. 12.

“It is North Carolina’s good fortune to have Chris Chung take on leadership of a mission so critical to our future,” McCrory said in a statement. “He is widely respected in the industry and experienced using the public-private approach, and he has proven he can create jobs and opportunities.”

Chung, a graduate of Ohio State where he earned a degree in economics and in Japanese, has worked in Missouri since that state’s “Missouri Partnership” launched in 2007.

Named to Development Counsellors International’s “Top 40 Under 40” in 2013, he helped bring some 10,000 jobs and $1 billion in investment to Missouri since 2010. 

One project lured to Missouri came from IBM, which maintains one of its largest corporate campuses in Research Triangle Park.