By Joshua Burd
Three of Newark’s key economic development organizations have come together in a move to further their missions while streamlining their efforts to enhance the state’s largest city.
Mayor Ras J. Baraka joined other stakeholders last week to announce that the Newark Downtown District and the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau will unite under the Newark Alliance, a not-for-profit established in 1999 with deep ties to the city’s business community and anchor institutions. To support the move, the Newark Alliance is expanding its executive team to focus on four key areas: keeping downtown clean, safe and vibrant; attracting visitors, residents and corporations; supporting everything from homegrown businesses to global ones and leading strategic initiatives that take on Newark’s biggest challenges, like health care access and affordability.
Additionally, the group will have an expanded 15-person governing board including the former board chairs for the downtown district and convention and visitors bureau, along with the City Council President C. Lawrence Crump and City Business Administrator Eric S. Pennington.
“As we continue to rise in national prominence for living, working, visiting and investment, the City of Newark is combining our efforts toward being a global destination into one unified vision, under one roof,” Baraka said. “This strategic alignment will increase accountability and allow us to achieve a wide spectrum of shared goals in this time of incredible growth, momentum and opportunity.”
According to a news release, the transition to one consolidated organization will look to accomplish:
- Improved downtown district management and development: This will enable greater scale in the execution of public improvements, community engagement, events and activations managed by the Newark Alliance, in collaboration with organizations including Invest Newark. The growing list of such opportunities includes Halsey Fest, Newark Fan Fest, Festivals United and activations leading up to the World Cup in 2026.
- Aligned visitor, resident and corporate attraction: The expanded Newark Alliance will continue to build Newark’s brand identity as a vibrant cultural hub, attracting both visitors and major businesses to the city. Alongside partners like Invest Newark and the City of Newark Arts & Education District, Newark Alliance will amplify local business’ success stories to support current business owners and attract new investment.
- Strengthened ability to meet Newark’s greatest challenges: Building on 25 years of helping achieve Newark’s strategic priorities, the unified Alliance will allow it to bring more resources than ever before to address challenges facing Newarkers and make meaningful impact — from ending chronic homelessness to embarking on the largest tree planting campaign in decades.
“Since day one of my administration, we’ve recognized Newark as a key engine of New Jersey’s economic growth,” Gov. Phil Murphy said. “I have been proud to partner with the city to spur housing development, launch two Strategic Innovation Centers and boost its thriving arts scene. I’m delighted to see these three groups come together and work toward a common goal to benefit this great city.”
Bloomberg Associates, the philanthropic consulting arm of Bloomberg Philanthropies that advises cities globally, partnered with Newark to make recommendations based on national best practices and its six-year experience supporting strategic initiatives in Newark.
“This is a bold and historic move which will strengthen Newark’s economy, create a more vibrant downtown for residents and increase accountability for the city,” said Todd Rufo, economic development lead at Bloomberg Associates. “Opportunities to do a big strategic shift like this come once a generation, but Newark met the moment with a visionary mayor, dedicated public and private partners and a talented leadership team to make it happen.”
City officials noted that several executives will take on new roles as part of the transition, including:
- Evan Weiss, who will remain as CEO of the Newark Alliance and take over as chief executive of the Newark Downtown District
- Alexandra Snape-Rogers, who will serve as Newark Alliance’s newly appointed chief operating officer, focused on driving operational excellence and supporting small businesses
- Kate Klinger, who will serve as chief systems transformation officer, leading cross-sector strategies to drive inclusive, systems-level change across the city’s community, environmental and health-related initiatives
- Ashley Mays, who will serve as chief marketing officer of Newark Alliance and president of Newark Happening, the city’s destination marketing function
- Susan McKay, who will serve as chief district management officer, leading efforts to enhance downtown Newark through coordinated operations, district-wide service delivery, capital improvements and strategic collaboration with local stakeholders
- Jorge Santos, who will serve as chief real estate and investments officer, focusing on supporting the development and small business community throughout Newark
“This consolidation will have a meaningful impact on our community’s future growth, contributing mightily to business attraction, downtown development, and Newark’s brand,” said Weiss, CEO of the Newark Alliance since 2021. “I’m thrilled we are bringing such a talented team together under one banner to help shape Newark’s next chapter.”
As the city’s economic development agency, Invest Newark continues to work closely with Newark Alliance to advance inclusive growth and equitable development across the municipality, the news release said. Marcus Randolph, CEO and president of Invest Newark, said, “This change speaks to Newark’s thoughtful and strategic approach to ensure long-term economic vitality for all.”
Lata Reddy, senior vice president for inclusive solutions at Prudential Financial and chair of both the Prudential Foundation and of the Newark Alliance added: “Prudential’s deep roots in Newark fuel our dedication to the city’s future. By bringing together the assets of each individual organization under a single leadership team, we create an opportunity to enhance our collective impact. Together, we are poised to build on past successes and accelerate progress toward our common goal of a thriving Newark.”
Other executives weigh in:
“I am looking forward to what lies ahead in the expanded role of the Newark Alliance with great anticipation and excitement for our community,” said Celia King, transition chair for Newark Downtown District, Newark Alliance board member and CEO of Leadership Newark Inc.
“As a higher education partner working with the city and its diverse stakeholders in this tourism development effort, we are strengthening the economic foundation of our community,” said Angela Garretson, former board chair of the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau. “When government, arts, education and business institutions align around destination marketing, we create transformative opportunities that benefit residents and visitors alike — attracting investment and elevating Newark’s profile as a vibrant place for living, working, learning, and visiting.”
