Memphis is one of the 30 largest cities in the United States and one of the top 10 U.S. cities in terms of minority-majority populations. Established in 1977, the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) drives Downtown’s role as the economic, cultural, and governmental core of the city and county. The DMC is the official partnership between local government and the private business community. The Downtown Memphis Commission includes Five Affiliate Boards: Downtown Memphis Commission, Center City Development Corporation, Center City Revenue Finance Corporation, Downtown Parking Authority, and the Design Review Board. The DMC’s annual budget exceeds $12M per year.
Jennifer Oswalt
HRS recruited Jennifer Oswalt in 2017 to serve as the President & CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission. Jennifer was not a traditional downtown leader but came to the DMC as an accomplished financial executive. She was also an internal candidate and previously served as the CFO for the DMC.
Over $5 billion in public and private development projects have been planned, initiated, or completed in recent years. Jennifer assumed the mantel of leadership after the previous CEO resigned. She quickly restored the organization’s credibility and continued to champion the organization’s aggressive development agenda.