Former Deputy Director at D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation Steps
Into Newly Created Role for the BID
February 13, 2023
For Immediate Release
Contact: Braulio Agnese, braulio@downtowndc.org
Washington, D.C. — Today Ella Faulkner joins the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) as the inaugural Vice President of Planning and Economic Development, where she will lead a team to improve, activate, and reimagine the public realm throughout the BID, including its 24 acres of parks and plazas, sidewalks, streets, alleys, gateways, and other open spaces.
Faulkner comes to the BID with more than a dozen years of experience in planning and design, most recently serving as the Deputy Director of Administrative Services at the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR). To date, Faulkner has managed more than $1.5 billion in capital funds, led the planning and design and project management of hundreds of DPR projects, and improved the quality of life for District residents through strategic redevelopments of parks and recreation facilities citywide. She now brings this experience to bear for the BID in a newly created position for the organization.
“I am hyper-focused on developing a thoughtful and collective vision to create a more vibrant, resilient, livable, and adaptable city, one that is centered around people. We are working to transform the experience of downtown into a place where everyone feels welcome,” Faulkner says. “I sincerely believe that DowntownDC is perfectly positioned to become the best downtown to live, work, and play in the world.”
In her new role, Faulkner also plays a vital role as the BID’s primary liaison to the executive and legislative branches of the District government, the federal government, property owners, businesses, residents, and other stakeholders on all matters related to public space beautification and activation, transportation/mobility, and infrastructure.
“I’ve known and worked with Ella for a number of years now, and the level of expertise and enthusiasm she brings to the BID is going to help make DowntownDC an even more vibrant, thriving place,” BID President and CEO Gerren Price says. “I look forward to seeing what her leadership will accomplish throughout our square mile of the District.”
Faulkner holds master’s degrees in architecture, regional and city planning as well as geographic and atmospheric sciences from the University of Oklahoma. She holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is an active member of the American Planning Association, Association of American Geographers, National Recreation and Park Association, and an executive leader through the National Forum for Black Public Administrators.
About the DowntownDC BID
The DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) was founded in 1997 and is a private nonprofit organization that provides capital improvements, resources, and research that keep the BID area clean, safe, economically and environmentally strong, and accessible. The DowntownDC BID is a catalyst, facilitator, and thought leader in diversifying the economy, promoting public-private partnerships, and enhancing the downtown experience for all. DowntownDC encompasses a 138-block area of approximately 520 properties, from Massachusetts Avenue on the north, including the convention center at Mount Vernon Square, to Constitution Avenue on the south, and from Louisiana Avenue on the east to 16th Street on the west.