Beth Anne Macdonald
Director of Community Planning and Development
Beth describes herself as a community anthropologist, civic enthusiast and a public space nerd. With a degree in Anthropology and almost 20 years of experience working in communities throughout New Jersey, this is an apt description.
Through her various roles as a BID Executive director, small business owner and municipal Director of Economic Development, Beth possesses technical skills in the areas of organizational management, land use policy, and business development. She understands that people are the experts of their own community experience and each individual perspective contributes to the shared community narrative. She believes honoring that expertise and perspective is the essential first step to creating the trust necessary to navigate community change; whether change is new development or small improvements to public spaces.
Beth’s unique skill set motivates her to discover each community’s singular relationship between place, space, and culture as she helps community members uncover their assets, core values and stories to co-create a shared vision of the future. Through her work with Commercial District Services, she hopes to continue improving peoples’ daily lives by using the built environment to strengthen the social fabric of communities and enhance the well-being of local residents.
Beth lives in Central NJ with her daughter and a lot a plants. When not working, Beth can be found outside hiking in the Sourlands, kayaking along the D&R Canal or hanging out in the mountains of Maine and the Adirondacks.
