Joe Gerstandt | keynote speaker, freedom fighter, freak-flag flier

A smart, smart move as covered by the Omaha World Herald.  We are spoiled as a community to have had Tawanna Black and now Jamie Grayson leading Destination Midtown.

New Midtown exec excited about future
BY MAGGIE CREAMER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

When Jamie Grayson interned for Destination Midtown last fall, she
 decided her ideal job would be working for a similar community development
 organization.

Now, as she prepares to graduate with a master’s degree in August,
 Grayson, 29, also will be adjusting to her new role as executive director
 of Destination Midtown. She will begin July 23.

She said she does not want to set specific objectives until she settles
 into the position, but she is excited to meet more members of midtown.

"I’m excited to see what the community wants," Grayson said. "I’m
 excited to dive in and meet with individuals to see what their needs, wants
 and desires are for the area."

Grayson said she loves living in midtown because it is the "mecca of
 diversity in Omaha." The area stretches from Interstate 480 west to
 Saddle Creek Road between Cuming Street on the north and Center Street on
 the south.

"Diversity is more than race or ethnicity," Grayson said. "It includes
 socioeconomic status, age, education, and midtown is the perfect cross
 section of Omaha. The area has positive energy bubbling below the
 surface, and I’m excited to make it explode."

Karla Ewert, vice president of communications for the Greater Omaha
 Chamber of Commerce, thinks Grayson’s age will be helpful because younger
 people are creating a lot of the "new and vibrant" development in
 Omaha.

"I think it is part of Omaha’s ongoing commitment to attract and
 recruit young professionals to our community," she said.

Grayson is interning with the code enforcement division of the city’s
 Planning Department through a work-study program of the Department of
 Housing and Urban Development.

She also has worked with the Fair Housing Center of Nebraska and
 community-based programs in Omaha and Council Bluffs, including the Nebraska
 AIDS Project, Micah House Emergency Family Shelter and as a youth care
 specialist for Heartland Family Service.

She will graduate with a master’s degree in urban studies with a focus
 on community and economic development from the University of Nebraska
 at Omaha.

Grayson will replace Tawanna Black, 30, who served as Destination
 Midtown’s first executive director before stepping down earlier this year.

The midtown area saw an estimated $500 million in new development over
 the last three years, including construction on the University of
 Nebraska Medical Center campus and Midtown Crossing, a Mutual of Omaha
 project to build an entertainment, residential and shopping complex.

Grayson will continue working on these projects. Jim Champion, board
 chairman for Destination Midtown, said he hopes Grayson also can lead the
 development process for the Park Avenue area.

Destination Midtown plans to collaborate with city officials, residents
 and Omaha Social Capital on a development plan for the Ford Birthsite
 and Leavenworth areas. Omaha Social Capital, a local developer,
 purchased properties in the area in April.

"Her background working with all kinds of people, leading boards and
 focusing on community development will be the perfect fit for this
 project and her job as director," he said.