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Meet Lisa:
Lisa has worn many hats on behalf of Pioneer Square. In her current role as Executive Director of the Alliance, she leads a collaborative team focused on business development, advocacy, marketing and public realm improvements. Lisa uses her strong relationships with city leaders and key organizations to advocate for the neighborhood and the issues that impact Pioneer Square at the city, county, and state levels. She tackles everything from long term goals and planning to every day issues.
Intercity Mission Trip:
In mid- June of 2019, the Seattle Metro Chamber recently led a delegation of government, business and civic leaders to Charleston, SC to offer delegates access to peers and local innovators. Alliance for Pioneer Square Executive Director, Lisa Dixon Howard, joined the delegation, spending three days exploring innovation and economic development happening in the Charleston area. Program topics included: workforce development, regional collaboration, tourism cultivation, and equitable growth/livability in a flourishing region.
Charleston was chosen as the site visit location for many reasons. Charleston has played a complex and significant role in our nation’s history and has evolved into a city of collaboration, long-term planning, resilience, and strong, consistent leadership. Charleston has a fast-growing economy and was ranked 16th in the Milken Institutes’ 2018 Best-Performing Cities report. Finally, the Charleston region is seeing strong population and income growth, and their leaders face many of the challenges that come with this, including traffic, housing affordability, and a changing city identity.
Charleston and Seattle are connected through a shared focus on intercity missions. There is much to learn from cities across the USA and Charleston parallels Seattle and Pioneer Square in many ways including historic preservation, transportation infrastructure, and equity. Lisa’s goal was to learn and bring back new knowledge to build a healthier neighborhood. Lisa observes, “I always appreciate the opportunities to step back and take a comparative look at the work we do here at the Alliance. The perspective it gives me is invaluable to making better choices and building more impactful, comprehensive programs in our district.”
Pioneer Square’s connection to Seattle, King County, and the larger region is relevant. The decisions being made around us impact us daily in terms of livability and economic vitality of our district. As we grapple with questions and issues that impact us directly, we don’t have to do it alone. One major project that has launched that has direct implications to Pioneer Square and a regional tie is Sound Transit 3. Planning is underway right now for how the Ballard to West Seattle line will tie into the International District Station, located on the border in the southeast corner of Pioneer Square. Now is the time for neighborhood stakeholders to engage in the process and share their voice. Find out more here.
Lisa this week:
This week, Lisa is back to work here in Seattle!