Monday, May 26, 2025
Deborah Kerson Bilek has long been a fan of business improvement districts. With a background in economic development, particularly land use and transportation planning and policy — as well as in facilitation and community engagement — she feels that she is well-positioned to work in the community.?
“I think BIDs are fantastic and really great engines for vitality,” said Bilek, most recently executive director of the nonprofit Urban Land Institute Washington.?
Just under a month into the position of CEO of the Georgetown Business Improvement District, succeeding Joe Sternlieb, Bilek has been listening, learning and absorbing as much as she can. “That means getting out there talking to as many people as possible who are invested in Georgetown,” she said.?
While on the job, she has been able to group her learning into three buckets: people, priorities and programs. “What I’m trying to do right now,” Bilek explained, “is understand all of the interrelationships of those three things.”
Bilek believes that the Georgetown BID has a great track record as a proponent of local businesses, while bringing in strong events like the annual French Market along Wisconsin Avenue.?
“I’m invested in growing those things so that Georgetown can be as vital to its own community as well as the District,” she said. “One thing that I was really attracted to in this role is that there is really no place like Georgetown anywhere in the country, or in the world. I’m really invested in keeping it unique and special.”?
The Georgetowner plans to conduct and share an in-depth interview with Bilek — focusing on the BID’s budget, priorities and challenges — at a later date, giving her time to adjust to her new role. In the meantime, to learn more about her, visit the “About Us” pages of georgetowndc.com.