The Board of Directors of the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) announced that Gerren Price has been named President and CEO, effective immediately. Price, who joined the BID as Director of Public Space Operations in 2018, has led the organization as acting President and CEO since November 2021. Price is the nonprofit’s third leader since the BID was founded in 1997 as the District’s first, and largest, place-management organization.
“When the Board asked Gerren to temporarily take the helm at the BID in late 2021, we were recovering from the devastating effects of the pandemic and facing a leadership crisis,” said Michael McCarthy, incoming Board Chair. “Gerren’s steady hand, years of experience in the city’s government and business realms, and commitment to the BID’s vital role in the District’s recovery guided us through a difficult and important moment — especially his work in achieving the organization’s recent renewal by the D.C. government. The Board is pleased to name him as the BID’s President and CEO, and we look forward to working with him for many years.”
For Price, being tapped to lead the BID is his second major career milestone in recent weeks; in mid-July he was named to the Washington Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 class of 2022.
“My excitement about stepping into this role is indescribable. My family and I have deep D.C. roots and a true love for this city, and I fully understand that a successful downtown is vital for a successful D.C.,” said Price. “I am honored to serve and lead during such a pivotal time for the organization and for the future of downtown D.C., and I look forward to continued work with our amazing Board, passionate and dedicated staff, city officials, and the downtown community to accelerate our resurgence, reimagine what’s possible, and set the course for downtown to be vibrant, thriving, and dynamic for years to come.”
In Price’s prior role at the BID, he was responsible for the organization’s largest department, overseeing a team of 85+ staff to ensure that downtown was kept clean, safe, and friendly, while supporting some of the BID’s most impactful projects. Notably, he supported the construction and launch of the of the Downtown Day Services Center in 2019 and helped to ensure the successful redevelopment and opening of the recently renovated Franklin Park, a $21 million project that was the result of an unprecedented public-private partnership between the federal and city governments. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Price led the BID’s efforts to provide critical lifeline support to businesses trying to survive; to coordinate food and emergency shelter services for those needing it most; and to help clean up and rebuild after downtown suffered extensive property damage from First Amendment activity in the summer of 2020.
“Gerren’s appointment as the DowntownDC CEO is profound in many ways,” said David Downey, President and CEO of the International Downtown Association. “The BID Board’s decision sends a clear message of trust by elevating an internal candidate. Gerren is an emerging leader in our industry and highly regarded by his peers and tenured CEOs alike. His extensive operations experience and keen economic development insights will be essential for recovery. Simply stated: He’s the right man at the right time.”
Price is a respected urban place–management leader and public servant with more than 15 years of experience directing and supporting large-scale initiatives in the government and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining the BID, he served as Senior Associate for National Community Strategies at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. He began his career managing a national youth mentoring program before serving in several capacities in the D.C. government, beginning in the Office of the Chancellor for the D.C. Public Schools and then the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education, and the D.C. Department of Employment Services ,where he served as an Associate Director for Youth Workforce Development, Deputy Director of Business Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, and as the Interim Director.
Throughout his professional career and personal life, Price has maintained an active leadership role in mentoring and supporting young people, including through consultant support for D.C. workforce development company P.R.E.P., LLC, work for the National Organization of Concerned Black Men, and service on community boards, including Arts for Learning in Maryland. Price holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.S./MBA from the University of Maryland, University College. He lives in the District with his wife and two daughters.
About the 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 BID is a catalyst, facilitator, and thought leader in diversifying the economy, promoting public-private partnerships, and enhancing the downtown D.C. experience for all. This special district, where property owners have agreed to tax themselves to fund services, encompasses a 138-block area of approximately 520 properties from Massachusetts Avenue on the north, including the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at Mt. Vernon Square, to Constitution Avenue on the south, and from Louisiana Avenue on the east to 16th Street on the west. For more information, visit downtowndc.org.
