Founded in 1967, the Downtown Lincoln Association was originally established as a merchants’ association by downtown retailers who recognized the need for an organization to serve downtown’s unique needs. DLA has since evolved to a multi-faceted organization supporting a wide range of programs and activities including maintenance, economic development and advocacy. DLA is also the umbrella for the Downtown Neighborhood Association. The association works closely with the Lincoln Haymarket Development Corporation to support Haymarket revitalization and attractions.
Our Vision: A thriving and cohesive downtown.
Mission Statement: Provide leadership to ensure a vibrant downtown.
Todd Ogden, President & CEO
Todd manages the organization, supervises staff, implements annual program of work, facilitates public private redevelopment projects, serves as the primary liaison to the DLA board, property owners, City of Lincoln, UNL, state government and subsidiary DLA organizations.
Todd is a Lincoln native and UNL graduate with degrees in Advertising and Political Science. Todd currently serves on the Boards of Directors for the YMCA, Lincoln Haymarket Development Corp (LHDC) and Foundation for Educational Services (FES). Todd is a current member of the International Downtown Association.
Brian oversees and manages the downtown maintenance program, including supervising seven full-time maintenance workers. He also coordinates the landscaping and works closely with the City’s Public Works, Urban Development and Parks & Recreation departments.
Brian is a long time certified Nebraska arborist and member of the Nebraska Nursery and Landscape Association (NNLA)
Jack Parr, Irrigation & Horticulture Systems Manager
Jack serves as the liaison between DLA, Urban Development and Urban Planning. He coordinates with contractors and city officials to oversee the installation of landscape and irrigation systems. He manages and updates the Urban Development Asset database which tracks all the benches, bike racks, trash receptacles and other pieces of equipment in downtown Lincoln. Jack also assists with daily maintenance operations such as ordering plant material, leading crews and maintaining landscape beds and irrigation systems.
Jack is also a recent UNL grad with a Bachelors in Landscape Management and Design.
Lorna manages all DLA finances, including Management & Maintenance BIDs and the DLA Parent Board. She also manages finances for the Lincoln Haymarket Development Corporation. Lorna oversees DLA’s annual audit and works closely with the City on budget monitoring record-keeping and reporting.
Katey Hulewicz, Vice President of Economic Development
Katey is responsible for managing Downtown Lincoln's Economic Development research. This includes the collection, and analysis of data concerning Downtown Lincoln, and managing DLA's major reports, such as the Annual Report, constituent surveys, and development reports. Katey is the primary point of contact for external requests for information about Downtown Lincoln.
Renee Jackson-Hookstra, Grants & Special Projects Manager
Renee manages and reports on grant funding awarded to DLA. She leads initiatives on special projects including the Downtown Lincoln Music District and Downtown Lincoln Coalition.
Maggie Pickrel-Smith, Director of Events & Outreach
Maggie handles the primary planning and implementation of DLA's events and oversees on-site duties day of event. She also offers support to other downtown events and assists with DLA special projects.
As communications coordinator, Tessa produces news stories for DLA's live news feed and monthly newsletter. She is also involved with the development of news releases, website content, social media updates and assisting in special projects.
Maia's role as marketing coordinator is to develop social media strategies to engage with Downtown Lincoln's audience, curate content for social media and web, and assist with additional marketing initiatives.
Claire serves as the primary support staff for the DLA management and maintenance programs as well as the coordinator of daily business activities of the DLA office. She also serves as recording secretary for the Board of Directors and board committees
Maia Merritt, Marketing Coordinator