Northern Michigan University alumna Tara Laase-McKinney is the new executive director of the Marquette Downtown Development Authority. The 2010 NMU graduate earned a bachelor's degree in outdoor recreation leadership and management. She has worked for MDDA for nearly eight years, most recently as business development and promotions director.
“Being here that long, I've been able to learn a lot about the DDA and grow in my knowledge of how the downtown works,” Laase-McKinney told The Mining Journal. “I would say I am really excited to get to know a lot of these organizations that are in Marquette that as DDA we can partner and work with to continue to promote and grow downtown Marquette and its businesses.
“There are plenty of economic development organizations in the area and I really want to build those relationships and work with them to help the businesses that are here or potentially look for gaps in what we offer as a downtown and maybe attract some of those types of businesses so that we have a very diverse and resilient downtown.”
View the full Mining Journal story here. Read a Word on the Street blog posted shortly after she was announced as the new executive director here.