On Sept. 15, the Hollywood Partnership named Davon Barbour as its vice president of advocacy and economic development as part of a comprehensive plan to serve as the local market expert to advance and advocate for Hollywood’s economic interests. In the newly created position, Barbour will lead the organization’s research and business development efforts.

“We’re thrilled to welcome an experienced industry leader to our team,” said Kristopher Larson, president and CEO of the Hollywood Partnership, the nonprofit organization which manages the Hollywood Entertainment District property business improvement district. “Davon’s expertise, work ethic and passion are known across the place management industry, and we’re confident that he’ll provide a boost to the Hollywood storefront business community.”

The HP’s focus on being a voice of influence in local policy and planning decisions that impact Hollywood comes at a pivotal time for the neighborhood. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the storefront mix was a challenge in the district, a trend which has only been exacerbated by recent events.

Barbour will oversee a range of initiatives, including a business-support role to address storefront vacancies and diversify the businesses mix to better serve area workers and residents.

As vice president of advocacy and economic development, Barbour will also continue efforts to produce alignment with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the Heart of Hollywood initiative to implement the shared vision for Hollywood. Further, he will coordinate efforts with the city and county of Los Angeles’ departments of economic development, transportation and others to garner support for the HP’s initiatives.

Barbour comes to the HP having previously served as the Director of Community & Economic Development Division for the Los Angeles County Development Authority, where he oversaw the county’s redevelopment initiatives, revolving loan portfolio, construction administration and the nation’s largest urban county district Community Development Block Grant program.

He played a lead role in developing and administering more than $100M in COVID-19 economic recovery programs including the now operational L.A. Regional COVID Fund. Davon was also senior vice president of economic development for the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, where he led the organization to win an Award of Excellence in economic development from the International Downtown Association for its TechConnect business attraction program.

“I’m excited to get back into economic development at a neighborhood scale,” Barbour said. “It provides the opportunity to focus on a finite area and make a tangible difference. Though Hollywood has a global brand, we’re going to focus on what we can do to expand its appeal to Angelenos.”

For information, visit hollywoodpartnership.com.