In an effort to better coordinate key leaders and organizations involved in economic development, tourism and marketing in Newark, the city will announce Tuesday morning that the Newark Downton District and Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau will unite under the Newark Alliance.
In partnership with the city of Newark, Invest Newark, and others, the Alliance will now aim to deliver key elements of Newark’s economic development, community development, tourism, and strategic initiatives, as well as ensuring downtown Newark continues to be a vibrant, safe, and fun place to live, work and play, Mayor Ras Baraka said.
“As we continue to rise in national prominence for living, working, visiting and investment, the City of Newark is combining our efforts toward being a global destination into one unified vision, under one roof,” he said. “This strategic alignment will increase accountability and allow us to achieve a wide spectrum of shared goals in this time of incredible growth, momentum, and opportunity.”
To support this new endeavor, the Newark Alliance is expanding its executive team to focus on four key areas:
- keeping downtown clean, safe, and vibrant;
- attracting visitors, residents, and corporations;
- supporting everything from home-grown businesses to global ones;
- leading strategic initiatives that take on Newark’s biggest challenges, like healthcare access and affordability.
The Newark Alliance will have an expanded 15-person governing board including the former board chairs for the Newark Downtown District and Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau, along with the City Council President, C. Lawrence Crump, and City Business Administrator, Eric Pennington.
Several executives will be taking on new roles as part of this transition including:
- Evan Weiss, who will serve as CEO of Newark Alliance and Newark Downtown District.
- Alexandra Snape-Rogers, who will serve as Newark Alliance’s newly appointed chief operating officer, focused on driving operational excellence and supporting small businesses in Newark.
- Kate Klinger, who will serve as chief systems transformation officer, leading cross-sector strategies to drive inclusive, systems-level change across the city’s community, environmental, and health-related initiatives.
- Ashley Mays, who will serve as chief marketing officer of Newark Alliance and president of Newark Happening, the city’s destination marketing function.
- Susan McKay, who will serve as chief district management officer, leading efforts to enhance downtown Newark through coordinated operations, district-wide service delivery, capital improvements, and strategic collaboration with local stakeholders.
- Jorge Santos, who will serve as chief real estate and investments officer, focusing on supporting the development and small business community throughout Newark.
Through its transition to one consolidated organization, Newark officials said the aim is for the benefit in three key ways:
Improved downtown district management and development: This will enable greater scale in the execution of public improvements, community engagement, events, and activations managed by the Newark Alliance, in collaboration with organizations including Invest Newark. The growing list of these opportunities includes Halsey Fest, Newark Fan Fest, Festivals United and activations leading up to the World Cup in 2026.
Aligned visitor, resident, and corporate attraction: The expanded Newark Alliance will continue to build Newark’s brand identity as a vibrant cultural hub, attracting both visitors and major businesses to the city. Alongside partners like Invest Newark and the City of Newark Arts & Education District, Newark Alliance will amplify local business’ success stories to support current business owners and attract new investment.
Strengthened ability to meet Newark’s greatest challenges: Building on 25 years of helping achieve Newark’s strategic priorities, the unified Alliance will allow it to bring more resources than ever before to address challenges facing Newarkers and make meaningful impact — from ending chronic homelessness to embarking on the largest tree planting campaign in decades.
Gov. Phil Murphy applauded the announcement.
“Since Day One of my administration, we’ve recognized Newark as a key engine of New Jersey’s economic growth,” he said. “I have been proud to partner with the city to spur housing development, launch two Strategic Innovation Centers, and boost its thriving arts scene.
“I’m delighted to see these three groups come together and work toward a common goal to benefit this great city.”
Bloomberg Associates, the philanthropic consulting arm of Bloomberg Philanthropies that advises cities globally, partnered with Newark to make recommendations based on national best practices and their 6-year experience supporting strategic initiatives in Newark.
“This is a bold and historic move which will strengthen Newark’s economy, create a more vibrant downtown for residents and increase accountability for the city,” said Todd Rufo, economic development lead at Bloomberg Associates. “Opportunities to do a big strategic shift like this come once a generation, but Newark met the moment with a visionary mayor, dedicated public and private partners, and a talented leadership team to make it happen.”
Weiss, the Newark Alliance CEO since 2021, said the merger will be impactful.
“This consolidation will have a meaningful impact on our community’s future growth, contributing mightily to business attraction, downtown development, and Newark’s brand,” he said. “I’m thrilled we are bringing such a talented team together under one banner to help shape Newark’s next chapter.”
Invest Newark CEO Marcus Randolph agreed.
“As Newark’s economic development agency, Invest Newark continues to work closely with Newark Alliance to advance inclusive growth and equitable development across the city,” he said. “This change speaks to Newark’s thoughtful and strategic approach to ensure long-term economic vitality for all.”
Lata Reddy, senior vice president, Inclusive Solutions at Prudential Financial, chair of the Prudential Foundation, and chair of the Newark Alliance added: “Prudential’s deep roots in Newark fuel our dedication to the city’s future. By bringing together the assets of each individual organization under a single leadership team, we create an opportunity to enhance our collective impact. Together, we are poised to build on past successes and accelerate progress towards our common goal of a thriving Newark.”
“I am looking forward to what lies ahead in the expanded role of the Newark Alliance with great anticipation and excitement for our community,” said Celia King, transition chair for Newark Downtown District, Newark Alliance board member and CEO of Leadership Newark, Inc.
Angela Garretson, former board chair of the Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau and the chief of public and community affairs at Newark-based NJIT, said the new set will benefit everyone.
“As a higher education partner working with the city and its diverse stakeholders in this tourism development effort, we are strengthening the economic foundation of our community,” she said. “When government, arts, education, and business institutions align around destination marketing, we create transformative opportunities that benefit residents and visitors alike — attracting investment and elevating Newark’s profile as a vibrant place for living, working, learning, and visiting.”
