FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2019
Richmond Main Street Initiative Executive Director
Takes on New Role with National Main Street Center
Richmond, CA – The Richmond Main Street Initiative (RMSI) announced today that long-time Executive Director Amanda Elliott has accepted the position of Senior Program Officer and Director of California Programs with the National Main Street Center, where she will provide technical support and guidance to communities throughout California, many of them facing some the same challenges as Richmond.
“Richmond Main Street has made significant positive changes downtown under her leadership” said Board Chair, Xavier Abrams. “In 2012, Richmond Main Street implemented the first and only Property Business Improvement District in the City of Richmond and West Contra Costa County. It was renewed in 2017 and has leveraged over $200 million dollars in public and private investments providing sustained funding for the organization through 2022.”
Elliott was instrumental in creating signature events, programs, and projects that have made Richmond’s Downtown cleaner and safer—events like Spirit & Soul Festival and Healthy Village Festival draw thousands of visitors’ Downtown and celebrate the rich diversity of the Richmond community.
Abrams adds, “The board is extremely proud of her accomplishments. Most notably, working with partners to fill a long-standing vacancy at the Richmond BART garage on Macdonald Avenue with a new co-working business incubator, coffee shop, and restaurant.”
RMSI took an economic and business development focus through partnerships Elliott developed with the Contra Costa Small Business Development Center, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, the City of Richmond, Mechanics Bank, Wells Fargo, and UC Berkeley. Hundreds of youth received job readiness training through the Summer Youth Entrepreneurship Program. The Art In Windows program enlivened vacant storefronts with art by local artists in the district through partnerships developed with property owners, the City of Richmond Arts and Culture Commission, NIAD, and The Art of Living Black. She was also an active participant in large community projects including The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities Healthy Richmond initiative and Kaiser Permanente’s Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) project.
Elliott shares, “Richmond Main Street has prepared me to work with a diverse set of stakeholders who sometimes find themselves at odds, but ultimately want the same things a clean, safe, vibrant commercial district that serves the entire community—a place to live, to eat, to work and play.” Elliott is excited about her new role with the National Main Street Center and says that she will continue to support Richmond Main Street as well as other commercial districts throughout California and the nation.
RMSI is currently accepting applications through October 14, 2019, for the position of Executive Director. For a copy of the full job description visit www.richmondmainstreet.org. All interested applicants should send their resume and cover letter to admin@richmondmainstreet.org.
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About the Richmond Main Street Initiative
Richmond Main Street Initiative is a community based non-profit dedicated to revitalizing historic downtown Richmond. RMSI partners with the City of Richmond, merchants, and residents to develop and improve downtown Richmond as a pedestrian-friendly urban village that offers products, services, arts and entertainment that reflect the community’s rich and diverse heritage. The DRPBID district encompasses the core of the Historic Downtown area along the Macdonald Avenue corridor bounded approximately by 6th Street, Barrett Avenue, Bissell Avenue, and 16th Street. For more information and to read about the RMSI’s events and programs, please visit www.richmondmainstreet.org and www.facebook.com/richmondmainstreet.
Resources: Media Alert (PDF)
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