The Downtown Dayton Partnership has named Beth Robinson as its next president, the organization’s Board of Trustees announced on Monday, November 2. Robinson succeeds Laura Woeste, who has served as interim president since early this year, according to the partnership’s announcement, reported by Dayton937.
Robinson most recently served as director of advisory and development for Impact Real Estate Partners in Cincinnati, where she advised healthcare systems, nonprofits and development partners on real estate projects, public-private partnerships and financing strategies, the announcement said.
Before that, she spent 14 years as president and CEO of Uptown Consortium, the nonprofit partnership of Cincinnati’s major healthcare institutions and the University of Cincinnati. The partnership said her tenure helped generate more than $400 million in direct private investment and leveraged more than $2 billion in total development.
Board co-chair Jason Woodard said in the partnership’s announcement that Robinson demonstrated a broad skill set in community and economic development and a proven track record working with diverse stakeholders. Robinson, in the same announcement, said downtown Dayton has tremendous assets and committed partners, and that she looks forward to working with the people and businesses that make downtown special.
Robinson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Cincinnati and is a Certified Economic Developer, with awards from the International Economic Development Council and the Ohio Economic Development Association, according to the announcement. Woeste will remain an active member of the partnership’s team, Woodard said in the announcement.
The partnership is the downtown Dayton business community’s lead organization, serving its stakeholders and supporting downtown businesses while advancing what its board calls a shared vision for a vibrant and thriving urban core, according to the announcement. Robinson’s background in downtown revitalization, business attraction and retention, financial stewardship and real estate development was the combination the search committee said it was looking for in the organization’s next chapter.
Robinson is expected to join the partnership on December 1. Her first public appearance will come sooner: the Downtown Dayton Special Improvement District’s annual meeting on November 5, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the PNC Arts Annex, according to the announcement reported by Dayton937.