Downtown Boulder Partnership brings in leader from California

BOULDER — For the second consecutive time, the Downtown Boulder Partnership has looked to coastal California for its next leader. 

The nonprofit organization, which oversees civic engagement and economic development efforts in Boulder’s core district, has hired Bettina Swigger as its new executive director. She will start in the role on Nov. 27.

Swigger, who was not available for comment on Wednesday, joins DBP from Downtown San Luis Obispo, a similar organization in the California city, where she was CEO.

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The Colorado College graduate who worked for Colorado Springs nonprofit groups for a decade before heading west takes over leadership of DBP from previous executive director Chip (yes, just Chip), who left the organization this summer. 

“I’m thrilled to be returning to Colorado to work alongside an incredible team and community of hard-working, talented business owners and community partners,” Swigger said in a prepared statement. “Together, we’ll continue the important work of creating a hospitable and welcoming environment for businesses and residents, bolstering tourism, enhancing livability, and creating more opportunities for all people to come together.”                    

Chip, a Colorado Springs native who adopted the one-name moniker decades ago, joined downtown Boulder in the fall of 2019 from a similar role in Santa Cruz, California, less than 200 miles up the Pacific coast from San Luis Obispo. He backtracked west in June to be closer to family and to begin a new job as a vice president with Block By Block, a company that helps city leaders manage downtown spaces. 

Carey Mason, a member of the Downtown Boulder Community Advisory Board, chaired DBP’s transition team, which conducted a national search for the new executive director. 

“We were extremely fortunate to have many high-caliber candidates interested in this position,” Nate Litsey, Downtown Boulder’s Business Improvement District board chairman and executive committee member, said in a prepared statement. “Bettina will be welcomed into the organization by a highly capable, seasoned and well-respected staff.  She will add to the team with fresh perspectives and a wealth of experience and insight from running a downtown district in a community environment similar to that of Boulder’s. We are excited to see what she will contribute.”