Downtown Albany BID board appoints Steffens as new the executive director

The board of directors of the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District (BID) has appointed Georgette Steffens as the new executive director of the organization. She will assume the position beginning September 14. Steffens recently served as the director of operations at Triad Consulting Group, Inc. of Cambridge Mass., a consulting group which specializes in communications and negotiation to assist organizations in building capacity to manage difficult conversations and critical relationships within their work environment. Her responsibilities there included human resources, accounting, marketing and identifying new opportunities for growth. Prior to her position with Triad, Steffens worked for the city, serving as director of the Albany HomeStore whose mission was to stabilize and strengthen the city's neighborhoods by increasing the rate of homeownership and owner occupancy to the level of the national average. Her accomplishments there included the development and implementation of an Employer Assisted Housing Program for local colleges and a down-payment assistance program for prospective homeowners. Other experience includes coordinating block-by-block improvement efforts in the city's Midtown and Arbor Hill neighborhoods and co-managing the Midtown Colleges and University study, a strategic plan to leverage the investment opportunities and programming needs of the colleges & universities in city's Midtown to benefit the adjacent neighborhoods. Earlier experience includes a role as economic developer for the city of Albany-Department of Planning and Development, and as Program Coordinator for the Center for Economic Growth. Tracy Metzger, chair of the Downtown Albany BID board of directors, said, "The BID board unanimously approved the appointment of Georgette Steffens as the new executive director. Her depth of experience working in the past for the city of Albany in several capacities as well as the Center for Economic Growth, where she was well respected for her work ethic and enthusiasm, vaulted her to the final selection stage. Her most recent experience working for Triad Consulting Group as the director of operations added even more depth and knowledge to her résumé. We are confident that Georgette will be able to hit the ground running to advance the BID's current initiatives and programs which further its mission to restore, promote and maintain the character and viability of downtown Albany and to improve the quality of life and overall image for those who live in, work in and visit the Capital City." Steffens holds a bachelor of arts degree from Johnson State College in Vermont. The Downtown Albany BID, incorporated in 1996, is a private, not-for profit 501 (c) (3) organization that works to restore, promote and maintain the character and viability of downtown Albany and to improve the quality of life and overall image of downtown for all those who work in, live in and visit the Capital City. For information about the Downtown Albany BID, call 518-465-2143 or visit www.downtownalbany.org.