Marin named as Executive Director of RenewLV; brings wealth of experience and passion for smart growth and regional approaches

Press Release

For Immediate Release

September 9, 2013

 

Contact:  Joyce Marin at 484-893-1060 or jmarin@renewlv.org

 

Marin named as Executive Director of RenewLV;

brings wealth of experience and passion for smart growth and regional approaches

 

Joyce Marin, a well-known Lehigh Valley community/economic development professional, has been hired as executive director of RenewLV (renewlv.org), a smart-growth organization dedicated to revitalizing our urban cores and regional, cooperative approaches to government in the Lehigh Valley.

 

Marin brings extensive experience in downtown revitalization and local ordinances that support traditional neighborhood design from her time as Main Street Manager and council woman in Emmaus, as well as her past service as Director of the Department of Community and Economic Development for the City of Allentown. Ms. Marin was founding co-chair of RenewLV in 2006.

 

�Having an experienced, strategic and knowledgeable professional like Joyce will enable RenewLV to continue its important efforts to be the voice for regionalism in the Lehigh Valley,� said Deana Zosky, co-chair of the RenewLV board of directors. �Joyce also brings a tremendous amount of passion for smart growth, which will help us engage our stakeholders and the general public and raise the level of discussion Valley-wide.�

 

Marin's academic credentials include an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and inclusion in the Knight Fellowship in CommunityBuilding at the University of Miami's School of Architecture, the recognized center for New Urban thought and practice.

 

�I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to direct my experience and education toward engaging the region's leadership and the public more deeply in the discussion of a sustainable Lehigh Valley, regional cooperation and the efficient use of our resources through utilization of smart growth principals and policies,� said Marin.

 

In her new role, Ms. Marin will be facilitating the public outreach effort for Envision Lehigh Valley, engaging the citizens of Northampton and Lehigh Counties to create a truly sustainable Lehigh Valley. Additionally, Ms. Marin will be helping to organize the Lehigh Valley's first smart growth conference, the Lehigh Valley Summit for Smart Growth to be held on October 24th at the Holiday Inn at Center City in Allentown. �The summit is a great opportunity for both the region's leaders as well as regular citizens to get informed and engaged on what we can each do to have a better Lehigh Valley as we grow,� said Marin. For more information about the Smart Growth Conference, visit renewlv.org.

 

Marin resides in Macungie, Pa.

 

About RenewLV

 

RenewLV was launched by community leaders in 2005, in response to a landmark Brookings Institution study, Back to Prosperity: A Competitive Agenda for Renewing Pennsylvania. This study highlighted two challenges facing the Lehigh Valley and regions across the Commonwealth: (1) the �hollowing out� of core communities, resulting in disinvestment in cities and boroughs and the loss of precious farmland and open space; and (2) a highly fragmented system of municipal governance, which severely impedes planning for growth in a proactive, coordinated way.

 

RenewLV addresses these challenges � a declining urban core, disappearing open space, fragmented local governance � by bringing together a broad range of perspectives and expertise. Strategic guidance for RenewLV is provided by Board of Directors representing a variety of sectors. This collaborative leadership structure has enabled RenewLV to develop an ambitious agenda focused on revitalizing cities and boroughs and promoting regional approaches to addressing the issues facing the Lehigh Valley.