To lead the St Elizabeths East innovation-driven development and its complementary goals to generate jobs, provide education and training for expanded employment opportunities, and diversify the City’s financial base, Mayor Vincent C. Gray named Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor L. Hoskins to head the development effort. The project is executed by the staff within the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED).
St Elizabeths East Executive Director, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, Government of the District of Columbia
Catherine Buell serves as the Executive Director of St. Elizabeths East, the future home of the District of Columbia’s first Innovation Hub – a 183-acre historic campus where community, universities, federal partners and technology enterprises will co-locate to support the District’s growing innovation economy. Prior to her current role, Ms. Buell worked in both the Washington D.C., USA, and Abu Dhabi, U.A.E offices of Patton Boggs LLP. There she counseled institutional investors seeking to make investments in real estate assets and private equity funds in the United States, Asia and Europe. Ms. Buell also served as the Chair of the District of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), which is responsible for preserving Washington D.C.’s historic and cultural resources.
St Elizabeths East Advisory Board
The St Elizabeths East Advisory Board, appointed by the Mayor, is responsible for providing guidance and professional expertise to the development. Together, the Board is leveraging its combined expertise and experience to help fulfill the Mayor’s vision for transforming the 183-acre St Elizabeths East campus into a major economic and community-building opportunity. Leading the Advisory Board are four distinguished residents of the District of Columbia, who act as Co-Vice Chairs:
George Vradenburg A former AOL/Time Warner Executive Vice President and co-founder of the Chesapeake Crescent Initiative, Mr. Vradenburg chairs the board’s Innovation Committee. Mr. Vradenburg is a graduate of Oberlin College and Harvard Law School and a former Vice President and General Counsel for CBS, Inc. and Fox, Inc. He chairs the Innovation Committee.
Herb Miller The founder and Chairman of the Board of the Western Development Corporation, Mr. Miller is a Washington native and graduate of the George Washington University with a degree in urban and regional development. He has developed more than 20 million square feet of projects, including the landmark District projects of Georgetown Park, Washington Harbour, Market Square and Gallery Place. He chairs the board’s Real Estate Committee.
Telaekah Brooks The Dean of the School of Professional Studies at Trinity Washington University and a small business advocate, she received a B.A. in sociology from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Howard University Law School. She chairs the Education Committee.
Members of the St Elizabeths East Advisory Group include:
- Brig Owens, Bennett Group
- Charlene Drew Jarvis, Federal City Council
- Irasema Salcido, Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School for Public Policy
- Thurgood Marshall Jr., Bingham McCutchen LLP | Bingham Consulting Group LLC
- Rey Ramsey, TechNet
- Robert Leslie Deak, Bittachon Holdings, Inc, National Defense University Foundation, Center for a New American Security.
- Rose Ann Cleveland, Cafritz Foundation
The advisory group is also served by four non-voting ex officio members:
- Julia E. Hudson, Regional Administrator, National Capital Region, General Services Administration
- Adrianne Todman, Executive Director, District of Columbia Housing Authority