Executive Director

POSITION SUMMARY

The Executive Director serves as the primary economic driver, advocate, and visionary for Downtown Howell. This position functions as the Chief Executive Officer of the Howell DDA (a public authority) and provides strategic oversight of the Howell Main Street Inc. (a 501(c)(3). The Director is responsible for advancing the long‑term economic strength, private investment, redevelopment, business growth, and strategic competitiveness of Downtown Howell.

The Director works collaboratively with the City of Howell, Howell Main Street Inc., business and property owners, financial institutions, regional and state economic development partners, and other community stakeholders.

• Actively recruit new businesses, developers, and investors to fill storefront vacancies and diversify the downtown retail/dining
• Maintain current inventories of storefront vacancies, available commercial properties, business openings and closures, and expansion
• Serve as the primary liaison and advocate for existing downtown business and property owners, connecting them to resources, grants, and city
• Utilize data-driven market analysis to identify economic gaps and develop targeted retention and expansion
• Collaborate with the City Manager, Planning Commission, and local economic groups to streamline development and zoning pipelines.
• Track business, property-owner, developer, and investor relationships through a professional contact management or CRM

• Develop, monitor, and manage the annual DDA budget, ensuring compliant use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenues under Michigan PA 57 of
• Prepare and present monthly financial, operational, and milestone reports to the DDA Board of
• Identify, write, and administer federal, state, and private grants to leverage TIF dollars for capital improvement
• Maintain comprehensive records and ensure compliance with all state‑mandated DDA transparency reporting
• Provide long‑range forecasting of TIF revenues, fund balance, capital commitments, and future investment
• Serve as the DDA's principal liaison to Howell Main Street Inc., including its measurable deliverables, performance indicators, and reporting
• Maintain the Howell Main Street’s master level accreditation, following the National Main Street "Four-Point Approach" (Organization, Promotion, Design, Economic Vitality).

• Develop and maintain a Downtown Economic Dashboard as a standing responsibility, presented regularly to the DDA
• Track measures such as storefront vacancy, business openings and closures, private investment, grants secured, TIF trends, residential units, property-owner outreach, and developer and investor
• Use measurable outcomes to identify trends, evaluate programs, recommend resource allocation, and communicate the DDA's impact to the
• Establish annual performance targets with the DDA Board and report progress against those targets on a regular

• Participate in regular municipal staff meetings to align downtown initiatives with City Public Services, Planning, and Police
• Maintain bi-weekly communication syncs with the City Manager to ensure operational transparency and collaborative problem-solving.

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Economic Development, Urban Planning, Public Administration, Business Administration, Marketing, or a closely related
• Minimum of 3–5 years of leadership experience in downtown management, economic development, Main Street programs, or non‑profit
• Certified Main Street Manager (CMSM) credential or Michigan Certified Economic…