EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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After conducting a national search, the DTSB board was proud to name Willow Wetherall its new executive director. Willow utilizes more than a decade of economic and community development experience to bring positive changes to blighted areas and uplift underrepresented places and people. 

 

In recent years, Willow contributed to the Regional Cities Initiative team that brought $42 million to our region. She helped 120 women and minority-owned businesses throughout the pandemic as director of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative at Saint Mary’s College. Her own initiative, Ignite Michiana, coordinated events and connections that encouraged a thriving region.

 

As executive director, Willow enacts initiatives to bolster South Bend’s street level, entertainment, and economic development sectors–focusing on safety, the economy, and making downtown a destination that all members of the community can enjoy. 

 

Willow earned a dual BA from the University of Maine in International Affairs-Anthropology and Women's Studies and her MA from the University of Notre Dame in International Peace Studies. As a “downtown multi-gen family”, Willow, her mother, and her three awesome children all enjoy living in the Near Northwest Neighborhood.