At the heart of every great city lives a great downtown, but great downtowns take time, effort and vision. They are built by people and organizations that care deeply about making downtown vibrant, welcoming and vitally important to the culture of the city at large. In our city, building with vision begins at the Downtown Investment Authority (DIA). The DIA was created to revitalize Jacksonville’s urban core by utilizing Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) resources and is guided by a nine-member board of directors. The DIA seeks to attract investment, facilitate job creation and increase residential density through capital investments, planning, marketing and public-private partnerships including the provision of incentives for the general community and Downtown stakeholders.
The DIA’s investments and policies are steered by the Board of Directors who conduct open-to-the-public business on an unpaid, volunteer basis. DIA’s Board of Directors is comprised of leaders in their respective fields, including real estate and finance professionals along with Downtown business owners. DIA staff has decades of combined experience in real estate development, redevelopment and urban planning as well as local and state government. This experience is a value-added proposition for the Downtown market and community as DIA’s leadership and staff are uniquely qualified to guide a project from inception through realization.
Ron Moody
Board Chair
W. Braxton Gillam, Esq.
Board Vice Chair
Carol Worsham
Board Secretary
William E. Adams, Esq.
Oliver Barakat
James P. (Jim) Citrano, Jr.
Todd Froats
Craig Gibbs, Esq.
David Ward, Esq.
Lori Boyer
Chief Executive Officer
Steve Kelley, DBA
Director of Downtown Real Estate and Development
Guy Parola
Operations Manager
John Crescimbeni
Contract and Regulatory Compliance Manager
Jackie Mott
Financial Analyst
Lori Radcliffe-Meyers
Redevelopment Coordinator
Ina Mezini
Marketing & Communications Specialist