Alisha Espey of the Downtown Davenport Partnership recently earned the designation of Certified Leader in Place Management (LPM) from the International Downtown Association (IDA).
Ms. Espey serves as the program director for DDP, an affiliate of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce. In a recent news release, the chamber said she joins a community of professionals who demonstrate the knowledge and skills to manage and lead a place management organization.
“My passion is making downtown a more vibrant, welcoming and inclusive place for everyone,” Ms. Espey said in a news release. “It’s a privilege to give back to the community through creative placemaking and having a role in building a place Quad Citizens are proud to call home.”
To earn the IDA certification, professionals must demonstrate proficiency in all aspects of the place management profession while also maintaining a commitment to ethical conduct and personal and professional growth.
“Alisha’s hard work and commitment to quality of place is seen and felt every day in downtown Davenport,” Kyle Carter, the chamber’s vice president of Place Management, said in the release. “This designation is just further proof of her knowledge and dedication to improving our community with the highest degree of professionalism in our industry. The Quad Cities is lucky to have Alisha on our team.”
The LPM certification requires knowledge of seven core domains of professional practice developed by IDA. They include: Leadership Development; Organizational Management; Economic Development; Policy and Advocacy; Public Space Management and Operations; Planning, Design and Infrastructure; and Marketing, Communications and Events.
Ms. Espey, who was honored in 2022 as one of the QCBJ’s first Forty Under 40 winners, and the DDP team provide placement management services to downtown Davenport’s business improvement district, known as a Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District, or SSMID. The partnership, which works with other downtown stakeholders, focuses on three pillars of work all aimed at improving the district: business and economic growth; infrastructure and livability; and advocacy and promotion.
IDA represents an industry of more than 2,500 place management organizations, employing 100,000 people throughout North America and growing rapidly around the world.
Founded in 1954, IDA is a resource center for ideas and innovative best practices in urban place management. The association’s members – urban place professionals – are downtown champions who bring urban centers to life and bridge the gap between the public and private sectors.
For more information about IDA’s Leadership in Place Management certification, visit downtown.org/certification.
