​Spokane, WA

​​UD Executive Director, Mark Mansfield

The Spokane University District Board is pleased to announce that Spokane native, Mark Mansfield, has accepted the position of Executive Director starting in July, 2015.

Mansfield will hold the distinction of being the first full-time Executive Director for the University District. Responsibilities include leading project development inside the district, guiding strategic direction, serving as liaison for the district to the City of Spokane and other federal, state and local government agencies, and facilitating board development for the University District Public Development Authority (UDPDA) and University District Development Association (UDDA).

A special Selection Committee began an exhaustive local, state and national search in January of 2015. The committee, consisting of Chair Kim Pearman-Gillman of McKinstry, Tom Johnson of STCU, Steve Trabun of Avista, Kim Zentz of Ignite Northwest, Karl Otterstrom from Spokane Transit Authority, Rhosetta Rhodes from Whitworth University, Mike Livingston of Kiemle & Hagood and Andrew Warlock representing the City of Spokane, narrowed the final field of 16 candidates to eight and then four. The four finalists presented their visions to the Selection Committee and Board of Directors in early May.

Mansfield was recommended and approved unanimously by the Board of Directors in June. “The field of candidates was exceptionally strong, which made our selection tougher,” said Pearman-Gillman, “However, Mark Mansfield’s unique background and expertise, which combines a wealth of both related business and academic experience convinced our selection committee that the University District would be in the best hands for the acceleration that the district is poised to achieve under his leadership.”

Mansfield holds a PhD in Architecture, a Master’s degree from the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, with the Dimitris Pikionis Award for outstanding achievement; an MBA from the University of Washington; and a BA in Communication from the University of Puget Sound.

As an entrepreneur of a web-based retail business in the 1990s, Mansfield was an early adopter of e-commerce and social media trends. He has worked with development of historic properties and his own developments have received local, regional, and state restoration and preservation awards, including the Washington

Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preservation Design Award. He has been a visiting scholar at Harvard University and taught at different Universities in Norway on architecture, design, and business development.

Mansfield’s first day will be July 6. Most recently the University District has been overseen by Downtown Spokane Partnership President, Mark Richard. “I’m looking forward to passing the torch,” said Richard. “After over a decade of planning and work by multiple organizations, we are fortunate that this position now requires full-time attention. It is exciting to see the organization become a real voice for the development of Spokane’s University District and I have all the confidence Mark Mansfield will do a tremendous job for us.“

The University District offers opportunities to address economic development issues, smart urban growth, environmental restoration, transportation improvements and affordable housing needs.Connecting the core strengths of the educational institutions with regional economic drivers, the University District provides an urban laboratory for the creation of new knowledge and opportunities for community-engaged research that builds economic value and quality of life.

This premier location provides a unique opportunity to tightly weave Spokane’s urban fabric with the higher education and health care industries into a diverse and powerful economic engine of the 21st century. Find out more at www.spokaneuniversitydistrict.com.