The City of DeKalb is pleased to announce that Ellen Divita has been selected as Community Development Director. Divita will begin serving in this position on November 20, 2014.
The Community Development Director was a position City Manager Anne Marie Gaura recommended during the FY15 Budget process. The Director position will lead and manage a reconstituted Community Development Department, with a staff of six full-time equivalent positions.
City Manager Anne Marie Gaura stated, “Ellen Divita brings a strong and unique combination of experience in all of the specialization areas that are necessary for this position, including economic development, planning and building inspection management. Ellen has been a leader in economic development in her career and with this position has the opportunity to blend her planning background to the benefit of DeKalb. In addition, Ellen has had the opportunity to work in a variety of communities with traditional downtowns and has helped lay the foundation for successful business models in those communities.”
Divita currently serves as the Director of Economic Development for the City of Geneva where she manages all aspects of departmental operations including downtown development, business retention and recruitment, long range planning, tourism and marketing. Her previous experience includes the start-up of three new economic development programs. She has served as the Deputy Director of Community Development for the Village of Mount Prospect and as Director of Economic Development for both the Cities of St. Charles and Woodstock, Illinois. Divita has a Master of Urban Planning and a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
In Geneva, some of her accomplishments include facilitation of the site location of the Roquette America Innovation Center and the new Northern Illinois Food Bank. She also served as project manager for the City’s Southeast Master Plan, a pro-active long range planning document which identified infrastructure needs and costs related to the development of a new industrial park.
In Mount Prospect, Divita oversaw daily operations of the Community Development as Deputy Director which at that time had a $2.4 million budget and staff of 26. She directly supervised the Building Division, Environmental Health and the Planning Divisions. The department processed over 3,200 building permits and 14,000 building inspections annually. Divita coordinated long range planning and economic development marketing.
During Divita’s tenure in St. Charles, the City experienced a 31% increase in the number of businesses (1,656 in three districts). The City also saw a 25% increase in new commercial and industrial tax base valued at an addition of over $90 million.
Regarding the opportunity to serve the City of DeKalb, Ms. Divita said, “Every city has a unique path. The presence of Northern Illinois University, the DeKalb-Taylor Municipal Airport and connectivity via I-88 are great amenities. The Community Development Department oversees the planning process, which is central in creating a positive business climate. I am excited to work with the DeKalb community, learn more about the City’s strategic vision, resources, and expectations; and to contribute to the City’s future.”
Questions regarding this Press Release can be referred to City Manager Anne Marie Gaura at 815-748-2391 or at annemarie.gaura@cityofdekalb.com.
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