Before I tell you about the Downtown St. Charles Partnership and this executive leadership position, I’ve gotta come clean. I like St. Charles. I value the blend of diverse cultures and ethnicities - from the languages you’ll hear as you pass people on the bicycle trail or supermarket aisle, to the unique restaurants and cuisines. I deeply appreciate the green spaces and their protected status. It’s wonderful to have easy access to the metropolitan area, but still the friendly feel of a smaller community. I like St. Charles. So I have a personal interest in the present and future of this city!
OK, now let’s talk about the Executive Director position with the Partnership. Although Craig Frank (our President) is spearheading this search as a courtesy to the volunteer-led organization, it’s such an important opportunity that I’m featuring it here this week.
The Downtown St. Charles Partnership, founded in 1992, is an ongoing organization dedicated to the overall health of our downtown area. DSCP projects follow the Main Street model, which is a “community-driven, comprehensive methodology” for revitalizing and redeveloping older, traditional business districts. This approach builds upon a robust sense of what constitutes a vital, vibrant community. So the projects are undertaken with due deliberation and community involvement, with an eye to long-term impacts.
If you’re in the far west suburbs of Chicago, you might already be familiar with some of the DSCP work. For example, they organize the Sisters Weekend in April and the Fine Arts Festival in May, two events that cultivate and feature businesses in the downtown area. As important as these events are, the Partnership’s work is actually much broader than this.
The Partnership and its Executive Director support the fourfold Main Street approach to revitalization: 1) design; 2) economic restructuring; 3) promotion; and 4) organization. So this position certainly involves public relations, but it’s substantially more than that. An invigorating challenge for a top-notch candidate with skills and interests in general business management, urban planning, community development, and more!
The Executive Director closely collaborates with the Board of Directors, as well as various committees. The Board reflects the complexity of the St. Charles community, with a membership that includes residents, business and entrepreneurial leaders, civic leaders, and youth. The Executive Director also manages two full-time DSCP employees, one involved with membership development and one involved with communication/marketing.
If you’re not familiar with the St. Charles area, I recommend the websites of the City of St. Charles and its Chamber of Commerce. For some more personal reflections from a few local people who live, work, and play in the area, I hope you’ll read the comments on a related post here.
The city of St. Charles is celebrating its 175th year in 2009. And the downtown area is celebrating some significant milestones in the First Street Redevelopment Project. What better time to take on a position of leadership with the Partnership? A rewarding position for a great city!
For a more traditional description of this position and the DSCP Board’s priorities for this search, please see our website. Résumé submission period ends on Friday, October 16, 2009.
If this seems to be a strong match with your own career path, please send your cover letter and résumé directly to Craig Frank (craigf@franksemployment.com).
