RDA adds two new staff members to its team.

DANVILLE VA – River District Association (RDA) is excited to announce that it has added two new people to its downtown revitalization team.  The addition of a Programs and Services Manager, and a Bookkeeper and Office Manager will enable RDA to even more effectively collaborate with the City of Danville and other partners to provide entrepreneurship and business retention programming, and more effective promotion and marketing of the River District.

Will Mackaman is the new Programs & Services Manager at RDA; this position will work with the Executive Director to oversee the execution of strategies and programming that relate primarily to economic development, community planning, entrepreneurship, and property development.  Mackaman’s career experience is a blend of community development and social work fields. Before joining RDA, he worked in mental health case management and prior to that, philanthropy. Will is originally from Des Moines, Iowa and graduated with a joint-Master’s degree in Urban Planning & Social Work from the University of Iowa. Outside of his passion for community development work, Will loves spending time with his fiancé (Maggie) and dog (June Bug), riding and working on bicycles, and visiting the small businesses and community spaces both inside and outside the River District.

Alyssa Turner will serve as RDA’s Office Manager. Turner is a native of South Boston, Virginia, and a graduate of Averett University, where she obtained a Bachelor’s in Business Management in 2017. Working in real estate for the past two years, Alyssa has gained substantial knowledge about Danville and all there is to offer its residents and visitors. In her free time, she enjoys reading and hiking.  Alyssa is excited to join the River District Association to continue her involvement in the development and growth of the region.

“We are so thankful to have the resources to be able to grow our team here at RDA” said Diana Schwartz, RDA Executive Director, “we have been mostly a two-person staff since 2016, and we have added an incredible number of programs and services since that time.  With the new strategic plan implementation beginning in the next few months, more human capacity was essential for us to not only continue with our existing work, but to serve additional districts in the City.  We are excited to have Will and Alyssa onboard”.