After nearly twenty years of service with the Washington DC Economic Partnership, Keith Sellars is transitioning outside of the organization. Keith began his career with the Partnership as Senior Vice President of Development and Retail in 2003 and ascended as the president and CEO in 2011.
“It has been an incredible honor to work with the WDCEP and the Executive Office of the Mayor, through the Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development,” said Keith Sellars, President and CEO. “I love this organization and the District of Columbia. I am grateful for having the opportunity to work with so many extraordinary individuals, including my team and the WDCEP board. I am proud to have been integrally involved in the positive economic and social transformation of the District of Columbia.”
“With 20 years of attracting retail downtown and attacking food deserts, Keith has been an advocate for DC’s neighborhoods in all 8 wards,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. “As the WDCEP embarks upon its next chapter of doing for office space what it has done for retail, we applaud Keith for his work at the Washington, DC Economic Partnership.”
“Keith’s accomplishments and influence have been vast,” said Donna Cooper, Co-Chair of the WDCPE Board of Directors. “During his tenure as President & CEO of the Partnership, he has had a major impact on the organization and its capacity. Under his leadership, WDCEP has also expanded its mission from its initial focus on retail attraction to include the tech sector and STEM. Recently, there has been an increased and strategic focus on office and business attraction and retention. With the release of DC’s Comeback Plan, the Mayor’s Five-Year Economic Development Strategy, Keith and his team have begun to effectively operationalize key aspects of the strategy to benefit the District and its residents.”
“Keith has been an incredible leader, exhibiting the diligence and thoughtfulness required to direct a public-private partnership as the WDCEP over nearly a decade, including several Administrations,” said Richard Lake, Member of the WDCEP Board of Directors and former Co-Chair of the Board. “His accomplishments have been numerous. This organization is better because of Keith’s leadership and tireless efforts.”
Under Keith’s leadership the Partnership’s successes include:
International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC):
Led the city’s efforts for retail marketing and attraction for 20 years at this industry signature event.
Creating research and marketing tools that have become the industry standard:
Neighborhood Profiles and DC Development Report and a series of Guides for Business.
SXSW:
Spearheaded DC’s Role at SXSW in Austin, Texas, including the WeDC House to promote DC’s tech, music and creative economy.
Site location assistance:
Educated hundreds of businesses on real estate opportunities in the District and informing DC officials of the real estate requirements of potential prospects.
His work, in collaboration with the Government of the District of Columbia and other key partners, resulted in the attraction of several high-profile retail tenants such as Apple, Costco, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Lowes and Walmart to DC as well as numerous including the District’s first Lidl, Harris Teeter and Wegmans.
