The Downtown Dayton Partnership has announced that the executive search committee has selected the organization’s next president. Katie Meyer will succeed Sandy Gudorf and lead the DDP as it works to continue the positive momentum downtown.
Katie has spent her career developing solutions to social and economic needs in cities. Since 2019, she has served as the policy and program manager for UniCity, altafiber’s smart city division based out of Dayton. In this role, she has worked with municipalities and organizations on technology solutions, policy, strategy, implementation, and data analysis.
Prior to joining altafiber, she served for nine years as the executive director of Renaissance Covington, where she promoted the economic revitalization of Covington, Kentucky’s historic downtown through business attraction, cultural vibrancy, and creative placemaking. Under her leadership, more than $150 million was invested in property rehabilitation, 20+ businesses opened each year, and Covington’s downtown housing inventory skyrocketed.
Katie earned her M.S. in Urban Policy Analysis and Management from The New School in New York City. She also holds a B.A. in Political Science and Journalism from the University of Kentucky. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her work and her volunteer efforts, and she serves on and leads a wide variety of community initiatives and boards.
Katie is thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the Downtown Dayton Partnership during such an exciting time for our city. She comments: “I already have a deep love and appreciation for the Dayton community and look forward to building on the organization’s momentum towards social and economic vibrancy alongside the staff and many dedicated stakeholders.”
The selection of Katie Meyer is the result of an extensive national and local search for the next DDP president, overseen by a search committee of the DDP Board of Trustees with input from community leaders, partners, and DDP staff. The search committee and the people she met with during the interview process loved Katie’s experience, energy, connections to the region, and commitment to the urban experience. The committee reviewed an extensive pool of strong candidates, and believes that Katie brings the right combination of skills and knowledge to work with the staff and volunteers to accelerate downtown Dayton’s progress.
Katie is expected to join the DDP on September 5.
