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Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams
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As Chief Programs Officer, Dionne focuses on building capacity for Coordinator Programs and local programs across the Main Street Network. Her division works to strengthen existing Coordinating Programs and launch and grow new Coordinating Programs that support Main Street America’s expanding national network. She also works with our Field Services staff to provide technical assistance, training, and resources to local Main Street programs.
Dionne has more than 20 years of project management experience, specializing in the revitalization of commercial districts and urban economic development. In addition to supporting opportunities for capacity building, she has vast experience working with community stakeholders, identifying and implementing initiatives in partnership with community-based groups, governmental and philanthropic institutions. Dionne worked as a Senior Program Officer for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Chicago prior to joining MSA in 2016. While there, she created and administered the award-winning Business District Leadership program as well as the award-winning Smart Communities demonstration. She also managed economic development initiatives for the Chicago office. Before joining LISC Chicago, Dionne worked as a Financial Planning Analyst for the Department of Community Development of the City of Chicago, where she led the administration of the Rehabilitation Grant Programs for Eligible Chicago Residents and Small Business Owners as well as the Tax Increment Finance Interest Subsidy Program for Developers.
Dionne has a bachelor’s in communications from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master’s in public administration from Roosevelt University. Dionne serves on the board of the Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN), a group of professionals dedicated to avoiding the displacement of small businesses in gentrifying areas. To offer the research team strategic guidance, Dionne also served as a member of the advisory board for the Center of Technology in Government’s “Enabling, Smart Inclusive and Connected Communities: The Role of Public Libraries” research project at the University of Albany in New York. Additionally, she has participated in Urban Land Institute (ULI) Advisory Service Panels across the nation.
In her hometown, Dionne participates on the advisory boards of a several organizations in Chicago, including Equiticity and Chicago Cares. She also participates in the Economic Development Committee of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP).
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Community economic development leaders need to get creative with their fundraising plans, identifying and securing diverse funding sources from both inside and outside their community
San Francisco, CA © Bjorn Bakstad
The Equitable Economic Development Fellowship is a two-year, one million-dollar effort funded by the Surdna Foundation and the Open Society Foundations to help equity, transparency, sustainability and community engagement become driving forces in local economic development efforts.
