Three Main Street America Staff members standing in front of a mural in Marion, Iowa.

Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams

About

We work in collaboration with thousands of local partners and grassroots leaders across the nation who share our commitment to advancing shared prosperity, creating resilient economies, and improving quality of life.

Overview Who We Are How We Work Partner Collaborations Our Supporters Our Team Job Opportunities Contact Us
Two community members in Emporia Kansas pose with a sign saying "I'm a Main Streeter"

Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street

Our Network

Made up of small towns, mid-sized communities, and urban commercial districts, the thousands of organizations, individuals, volunteers, and local leaders that make up Main Street America™ represent the broad diversity that makes this country so unique.

Overview Coordinating Programs Main Street Communities Collective Impact Awards & Recognition Community Evaluation Framework Join the Movement
Dionne Baux and MSA partner working in Bronzeville, Chicago.

Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America

Resources

Looking for strategies and tools to support you in your work? Delve into the Main Street Resource Center and explore a wide range of resources including our extensive Knowledge Hub, professional development opportunities, field service offerings, advocacy support, and more!

Overview Knowledge Hub Field Services Government Relations Main Street Now Conference Main Street America Institute Small Business Support Allied Member Services The Point Members Area
People riding e-scooters in Waterloo, Iowa

Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo

The Latest

Your one-stop-shop for all the latest stories, news, events, and opportunities – including grants and funding programs – across Main Street.

Overview News & Stories Events & Opportunities Subscribe
Woman and girl at a festival booth in Kendall Whittier, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Kendall Whittier — Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street

Get Involved

Join us in our work to advance shared prosperity, create strong economies, and improve quality of life in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.

Overview Join Us Renew Your Membership Donate Partner With Us Job Opportunities
Three Main Street America Staff members standing in front of a mural in Marion, Iowa.

Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams

About

We work in collaboration with thousands of local partners and grassroots leaders across the nation who share our commitment to advancing shared prosperity, creating resilient economies, and improving quality of life.

Overview Who We Are How We Work Partner Collaborations Our Supporters Our Team Job Opportunities Contact Us
Two community members in Emporia Kansas pose with a sign saying "I'm a Main Streeter"

Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street

Our Network

Made up of small towns, mid-sized communities, and urban commercial districts, the thousands of organizations, individuals, volunteers, and local leaders that make up Main Street America™ represent the broad diversity that makes this country so unique.

Overview Coordinating Programs Main Street Communities Collective Impact Awards & Recognition Community Evaluation Framework Join the Movement
Dionne Baux and MSA partner working in Bronzeville, Chicago.

Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America

Resources

Looking for strategies and tools to support you in your work? Delve into the Main Street Resource Center and explore a wide range of resources including our extensive Knowledge Hub, professional development opportunities, field service offerings, advocacy support, and more!

Overview Knowledge Hub Field Services Government Relations Main Street Now Conference Main Street America Institute Small Business Support Allied Member Services The Point Members Area
People riding e-scooters in Waterloo, Iowa

Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo

The Latest

Your one-stop-shop for all the latest stories, news, events, and opportunities – including grants and funding programs – across Main Street.

Overview News & Stories Events & Opportunities Subscribe
Woman and girl at a festival booth in Kendall Whittier, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Kendall Whittier — Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street

Get Involved

Join us in our work to advance shared prosperity, create strong economies, and improve quality of life in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.

Overview Join Us Renew Your Membership Donate Partner With Us Job Opportunities

August 12, 2021 | Announcing Jess Zimbabwe as New Vice Chair of Main Street America Board | 
Untitled_design__84_.png

Please join us in welcoming Jess Zimbabwe as the new Vice Chair of the Main Street America Board.

JessSign_LowRes.jpgJess Zimbabwe (AIA, AICP, LEED-AP) has served on the Board since 2018. In that time, she has played a key role in supporting the organization’s growth and success through her expertise in equitable city design, planning, and revitalization.

“In our work at MSA, Jess has brought an unmatched knowledge and passion for city-making,” said Patrice Frey, President and CEO of Main Street America. “I look forward to continuing to work with her as Vice Chair as we strive to support the equitable recovery of Main Street communities.”

Jess is the Executive Director of Environmental Works Community Design Center in Seattle. Previously, she founded a consulting practice, Plot Strategies, and served for ten years as the founding Director of the Daniel Rose Center for Public Leadership—a partnership of the National League of Cities and the Urban Land Institute. Before that, Jess led the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, and was Community Design Director at Urban Ecology in Oakland. She serves on the boards of Next City, the National Main Street Center, and Colloqate. She is a licensed architect, certified city planner, LEED-Accredited Professional, and a member of the urban planning faculties at Georgetown University and the University of Washington.

Learn a little more about Jess in our Q&A below:

1. What do you hope to see MSA accomplish in the next year? The next five?
I’d like to see MSA become even more of a resource to communities that are making it happen on the ground. Everywhere you turn, there are community leaders identifying local needs and solutions, brokering partnerships, and delivering authentic leadership that simply can’t come from outside experts. At the same time, those local leaders need to be plugged into a network like MSA that helps them learn, innovate, advocate, and improve.

2. Is there a Main Street or commercial district that has personal significance to you?
I’ve been really excited to watch the development of the East Oakland Black Cultural Zone because that’s a neighborhood I worked in early in my career. Their mission to build power, secure land, and direct funding to community-driven projects is exactly the kind of organizing power that a quickly changing neighborhood like that needs. Plus, I know some of the collaborators in the project, so it’s exciting to watch their achievements, too. Since moving to Seattle two years ago, I’ve been exploring more Washington Main Street communities, too. I just had dinner tonight on the waterfront in lovely downtown historic Gig Harbor and noticed several programs and efforts of the Downtown Waterfront Alliance there.

3. What piece of advice or words of encouragement would you give to a local Main Street leader?
The only path we have forward on this planet is to figure out a way to target our investments of time and resources into the people and meaningful places in our communities. Too much work that’s done in the name of design, building, planning, and economic development is done in ways that shortchanges whole segments of our population, or treats places and land like they are disposable. Main Streets to me are about redoubling down on the premise that placemaking, and placekeeping—with an emphasis on sustainability and equity—is what matters most of all. Main Street leaders and volunteers across the country have shown their equal commitment to that proposition, and for that, they have my gratitude.

Please join us in welcoming Jess Zimbabwe!