The board of Main Street Morgantown approved an interim management agreement with the Morgantown Area Partnership to oversee the organization and ensure continuation of its events and programs for businesses in downtown Morgantown.
Mainstreet’s Executive Director Barbara Watkins stepped down from the position last week after nearly five years at the helm of the organization.
“Barbara served Main Street Morgantown and the downtown as a whole for more than 20-years,” said AJ Hammond, chairman of the Main Street Morgantown Board. “Her knowledge of Main Street America’s offerings will forever make downtown Morgantown a better place to visit, work and live.”
During the transition from Watkins’ leadership, the board has asked the Morgantown Area Partnership to step in and manage the organization for the next three months. The Partnership, formed in 2019, is made up of the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce, the Monongalia County Development Authority, the Campus Neighborhoods Revitalization Corp. (Sunnyside Up), and the Morgantown Area Economic Partnership.
“We stand ready to ensure a smooth transition for this vital organization to our community,” said Russ Rogerson, president and CEO of the Partnership. “Through the formation of the Partnership I am proud of how we have been able to manage our community components and bring a wide variety of stakeholders to the table to work collaboratively to advance our community.”
The Partnership’s board is made up of members of each of its partner organizations and at-large members who encompass a cross section of Monongalia County’s business community.
To the Partnership’s Board Chairman Mark Imbrogno, Main Street Morgantown is a natural fit of the Partnership’s mission.
“As a business centric membership organization, we know we are perfectly positioned to guide Main Street Morgantown, and its member businesses, through this transition process.
“I know the Partnership will be able to not only maintain the wonderful programs offered to the downtown by Main Street Morgantown, but be an additional valuable resource to its members,” Imbrogno said.
Main Street Morgantown’s upcoming events will continue as planned, such as the August Arts Walk, slated Aug. 13.
Main Street Morgantown is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the continued revitalization of downtown Morgantown and the Historic Wharf District.
The Morgantown Area Partnership (the Partnership) is a business organization focused on economic growth for all entities in Monongalia County. It is a public/private alliance for the betterment of economic, business and community development in the area.
