The City of Williamsburg has a familiar face working in a new position.
Corinne Blackford started work Monday as the Economic Development Specialist, a position created earlier this year to help the Economic Development Authority fulfill its recently acquired duty of overseeing the commercial buildings under the purview of the Williamsburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority, whose employees were recently folded into the city staff.
Blackford rejoins the City of Williamsburg staff two years after serving as an intern while in graduate school at Cornell University. Then, she worked with the planning department, economic development and the city manager’s office, learning about local government through the viewpoint of all three. Now, she’ll stick with the EDA in hopes of boosting the office’s communication with the city’s businesses.
Though Blackford grew up in Arizona, her mother has called Williamsburg home for about 10 years. In recent years, “coming home” has meant a visit to Williamsburg to see her family. Blackford, who moved to Manhattan after graduate school, has spent various vacations and school breaks over the years in Williamsburg.
“I wanted to ultimately be in a small community professionally because of the impact you can have, and the ability to forge stronger relationships in a smaller community,” said Blackford, whose new position will also require her to assist in marketing the city to prospective businesses, as well as liaise with existing businesses. “Everyone here impressed me during my internship. They’re very welcoming and so smart and progressive-minded. People seem to be looking forward to the future.”
Blackford studied economics at Bard College for her undergraduate degree, then focused on urban planning in her graduate studies with Cornell.
In August, the WRHA Board of Commissioners asked City Council to take over leadership of the organization, citing reduced availability of Housing and Urban Development funds as a large reason for the shift. Council took over in October, and approved the creation of the new full-time EDA position to help manage the city’s commercial buildings in February.
Marketing and managing the Triangle Building on Armistead Avenue, which has two vacant spaces remaining, will be a focus for Blackford in upcoming months. But she will also lend a helping hand in other EDA programs, such as the Arts District incentive or the demolition program.
“A big part of creating this position was the movement of the Triangle Building to my office,” said EDA Director Michele DeWitt, who supervises Blackford. “But also my office has been extremely busy with existing and prospective businesses, so we’ve been able to give some of those duties to the specialist, as well.”
Blackford has just begun her work tackling the multitude of responsibilities associated with the job but she has already predicted which aspect of her job she will most enjoy having already gathered economic development experiences through internships with the City of Williamsburg and the Alliance for Downtown New York.
“I’m most interested in the planning aspect,” she said. “I’m future-minded. I like to envision a prosperous future for us all and it’s exciting for me to feel like I can be involved in the business community looking in that direction.”
