Old Dominion News

RIVER DISTRICT ASSOCIATION PROMOTES SCHWARTZ

The River District Association (RDA) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Diana L. Schwartz, Executive Director of the River District Association, will take on the new title of Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. The change in title will more accurately reflect her role leading and growing the downtown revitalization organization.

Since being hired by the RDA Board of Directors in 2017, Schwartz has focused on creating high performing programs such as the RDA Dream Launch Bootcamp and resulting pitch opportunities, securing outside grant funding through initiatives like the national award-winning 2018 Vote Your Main Street campaign to assist in property preservation and development on North Union Street, and is a recognized leader regionally, building collaborative relationships with organizations and individuals across the Dan River Region.

The success that Schwartz and the RDA Board have experienced driving the change and growth of the organizational initiatives over the past five years has opened opportunities to access additional resources; especially notable is the additional talent Schwartz has attracted to the RDA team. With this organizational growth, tripling the annual budget and growing a team from 1 staff person to 5, Diana’s role has shifted from creating and managing new programs and services for the downtown stakeholder and business community, to a greater emphasis on growing local leaders, enhancing strategic local, regional, and statewide relationships, and finding appropriate opportunities for RDA to serve as an even greater resource for economic and community development for the region.

"Over the past several years, Diana has positioned RDA as a collaborative leader in the region and garnered national recognition for its work in the River District,” said, Rachel Covington, RDA Board President. “As the organization grows and begins to influence social and economic development in areas beyond the River District, the RDA Board feels that this title change will more accurately reflect the next chapter of the organization. Diana is most deserving of this, and she is dedicated to leading a full team that will create a positive impact in the Dan River Region."

 About the River District Association

The River District Association (RDA), formerly Downtown Danville Association, was formed in 1999 to coordinate efforts to revitalize the downtown Danville, Virginia community, now called the River District. Since 2016, RDA and the City of Danville have enjoyed accredited status under the National and Virginia Main Street Programs; the program and accreditation are recognized nationally as one of the most successful formulas for downtown revitalization.

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