Events
Overview: This spring, six urban place management leaders from around the U.S. worked collaboratively to define critical investment issues facing urban place management organizations (UPMOs). Learn about their conclusions regarding office to housing conversions, retail reinvigoration, shifts in messaging and the internal structure of the traditional UPMO.
Friday, October 18, 2024 | 12:00pm ET (9:00am PT)
Domain: Economic Development
Pricing: IDA Members: Free | Nonmembers: $40
Advancing Places is an online series aimed at empowering IDA members with the solutions needed to address the most critical urban issues of the day. This session will include a moderated Q&A and will be recorded for member and nonmember use in the future.
Speakers:
- Molly Alexander, Founder & CEO, ITP Consulting (Austin, TX)
- Whitney Hoffman Sayal, Executive Director, Baton Rouge Downtown Development District (LA)
- Claudia Freeland Jolin, Executive Director, Baltimore Peninsula Partnership (MD)
Moderator:
- Carolyn L. Dellutri, CAE, CMSM, CTP, Director of Professional Development, IDA
Learning Objectives:
- Learn to identify your community’s unique strengths and avoid blindly copying policies or practices from other communities.
- Explore how downtown retail is changing and what it will take to bring it back.
- Develop strategies to effectively communicate your district’s value to policymakers, considering potential shifts in their priorities and evolving needs. What changes might you consider when discussing investment and new legislation for your district?
- Evaluate the effectiveness of your current structure and the traditional role of your UPMO staff and board.
LPM | 1 IDA LPM professionals can earn credit hours for this webinar. More information about IDA’s Leadership in Place Management certification program can be found here.
CM | 1 AICP members can earn Certification Maintenance (CM) credits for this webinar. More information about AICP’s CM program can be found at www.planning.org/cm
Speakers
Molly Alexander
Founder & CEO, ITP Consulting (Austin, TX)
With over 30 years of experience building communities, and creating vibrant downtowns, Molly is your expert-at-hand for turning around struggling retail districts. In 2022, Molly created Imagine The Possibilities (ITP) Consulting working with clients and communities to stimulate economic development, retail revitalization and placemaking. In addition to her consulting firm, she owns and operates two award-winning retail establishments in downtown Elgin, TX – The Owl Wine Bar & Home Goods Store and Elgin Dry Goods. Along with founding her own start-up companies, she has worked as a policy aid for a Dallas City Council Member and ran a historic preservation not-for-profit organization. Molly received her bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and History from Trinity University.
Claudia Freeland Jolin
Executive Director, Baltimore Peninsula Partnership (MD)
As Executive Director of Baltimore Peninsula Community Benefits District – Claudia is responsible for all aspects of operating, activating, and securing the public realm on the Peninsula. She identifies and implements programs and procedures to ensure the new neighborhood is a clean, safe, and desirable place to live, work, visit, and play. Her resume spans civic and service-oriented roles, drawing from her extensive education including an M.A. in International Policy from Georgetown University, a B.A. in Economics from UMBC, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Manoa, Hawaii. Jolin has experience at the U.S. Department of State, working in the Office of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Public Relations Office. She is a veteran of the United States Navy, where she worked for the National Security Agency in data interpretation. 
Whitney Hoffman Sayal
Executive Director, Baton Rouge Downtown Development District (LA)
As Executive Director for the Downtown Development District (DDD), Whitney Hoffman Sayal is responsible for carrying out the mission to initiate, incubate, and support partnerships that develop and enhance Downtown Baton Rouge. Many of the projects she has worked on at the DDD have been recognized/awarded at the local, state, and international levels. She has a professional bachelor’s architecture degree from Louisiana Tech University and landscape architecture master’s degree from Louisiana State University Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture. Hoffman Sayal is a professional planner, certified by the American Planning Association since 2012 and currently serves as the Immediate Past President of the Louisiana Chapter of the American Planning Association.
More Information
Registration information: When registering for a webinar, please complete the sign-up as yourself and not your organization. If additional staff would like to attend the same webinar, each individual must register as themselves to receive their unique login link. Questions? Email registration@downtown.org.
By registering for this webinar, you are agreeing to IDA Event Agreement and Code of Conduct.
IDA is committed to making our educational sessions accessible to everyone, regardless of ability, and to reasonably accommodating the assistive needs of our members, attendees and partners. We are actively working to increase the accessibility of our offerings. In so doing, we strive to comply with the available standards and guidelines under the Americans with Disabilities Act and related laws to the greatest extent possible. If you are having trouble accessing an IDA offering, or have a question regarding session accessibility features, please contact IDA at registration@downtown.org for assistance.
Sponsored by
Interested in Sponsoring?
Gain access to an audience of urban leaders who want to learn about your product or service.
Interested in Membership?
IDA membership provides resources and solutions to help organizations grow and thrive.
Questions?
For registration assistance or further information, please contact IDA’s registration team.
