Mayor Selects Top D.C. Official to Lead Department of Economic and Housing Development for Newark

Allison Ladd Chosen after Intense National Search

NEWARK, NJ – July 11, 2019 – Allison Ladd has been appointed to serve as the next director of the Department of Economic and Housing Development for Newark, a deputy mayor position under Mayor Ras J. Baraka.

Ladd, who begins her new position on August 1, is currently deputy director of the Washington, D.C. Office of Housing and Community Development.

Ladd comes to Newark after a national search, conducted by a public-private task force led by Aisha Glover, CEO of Newark Alliance, Eric Pennington, the City of Newark’s Business Administrator, Natasha Love Rogers, the City of Newark’s Chief Operating Officer, and Ommeed Sathe VP of Impact Investments for Prudential Financial. The task force was created by Mayor Baraka to ensure that candidates that may not have otherwise been identified were considered from beyond the Northeast.

In addition to the talent search, the group has also engaged HR&A Advisors to conduct a review of the city’s economic development operations and processes to ensure the department is operating at peak performance given the surge in growth and development underway in Newark.

“The task force was charged to find the best and brightest minds with a proven track record of qualitative wins to advance our work to grow equitable economic opportunities for our city,” said Ras J. Baraka, Newark mayor. “Allison’s impressive talent, work with communities similar to Newark, and stance on approaching development from a community wealth-building perspective is why she is the right fit for us.”

The task force was created in February following the announcement that former Director John Palmieri was retiring. Under his leadership, several key initiatives advanced in the city including transportation and smart growth strategies. The City’s Chief Operations Officer, Natasha Love Rogers, served as Interim Deputy Mayor/Director during the national search for a new leader.

Ladd brings a 20-year career in public service to the Mayor’s Office from the Washington, D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development, where she conducted high-level, strategic troubleshooting and problem solving as deputy director. In her most recent work, Ladd spearheaded operations of a 180-employee organization with a budget exceeding $300 million. She has led the development of new policies, programs and financing tools to preserve affordable housing, minimized foreclosures, assisted with the workforce purchasing of their first home, transformed vacant properties into vibrant assets, and created mixed income communities through inclusionary zoning.

“It is an honor to be selected to join Mayor Baraka’s team,” said Allison Ladd. “The mayor, key officials and business community have done a stellar job collaborating to promote the abundant assets of the city. I am eager to join in their efforts and am looking forward to furthering success in equitable economic growth and development.”

As the director of the Department of Economic and Housing Development for Newark, Ladd will be responsible for leading the creation of economic opportunities for residents and enhancing the vibrancy of the city.

“Given the city’s pivotal position in growth and development, we conducted an intensive search and spoke with impressive candidates from across the country,” said Glover. “It was an honor to work on behalf of the administration to help identify a like-minded and progressive leader with deep experience and a comfort level working within an urban environment who is equipped to advance equitable economic development. We found that and more in Allison.”

Ladd holds a Masters of Community Planning from the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, and a Bachelor of Arts (emphasis on Urban Studies) from the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, RI. Ms. Ladd is a Korean- American from New England who enjoys cooking and traveling. Ms. Ladd and her partner will relocate from D.C. to Newark.

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About City of Newark/Department of Economic and Housing Development

The mission of the Department of Economic and Housing Development is to create economic opportunity for and empower Newark residents and to enhance the vibrancy of our city. To this end, the department seeks to position Newark to take advantage of its unique assets, including its strategic location, a diverse and underutilized workforce, a large amount of developable land, concentration of corporate and business service firms, several major universities, and a wealth of arts and cultural assets.

About Newark Alliance

The Newark Alliance is a nonprofit organization founded by leaders from some of New Jersey’s major corporations to support the broader needs of the Newark community. Since its inception in 1999, the organization has worked in partnership with a wide-range of stakeholders to leverage Newark’s competitive assets into even greater economic activity for the city, the region, and beyond. Its mission is to make Newark a better and safer place to live, work, learn, play and do business by collaborating on issues of high priority to advance Newark’s growth, prosperity and success. For more information, visit www.Newark-Alliance.org.