On Wednesday, September 18, the Prosper Portland Board of Commissioners selected Shea Flaherty Betin to serve as the interim executive director for Prosper Portland, effective September 28, 2024. Flaherty Betin currently serves as the director of economic development at Prosper Portland. Prior to becoming economic development director, Flaherty Betin was the entrepreneurship and community economic development manager for Prosper Portland from 2019 to 2021. The Board also recommended that Lisa Abuaf, Prosper Portland’s director of development and investment, serve as interim deputy director.
Flaherty Betin will replace Kimberly Branam who will step down after 13 years with the agency and more than eight years as executive director. Her last day as executive director is September 27. Branam will become the Chief Trade and Economic Development Officer at the Port of Portland. The Board also approved a resolution commending and thanking Director Branam for her service to Prosper Portland.
“On behalf of the Board I want to thank Shea and Lisa for stepping into the role of interim executive director and interim deputy director respectively at a truly critical time for the agency and the city,” said Chair Gustavo Cruz. “I am confident their extensive experience and understanding of the agency’s priorities will ensure a smooth transition and enable Prosper Portland to continue making progress on these priorities. I also want to, once again, acknowledge and thank Kimberly Branam for her vision and tireless efforts on behalf of the agency. She is an inspired leader, and we wish her the best.”
To support this transition Andrew Fitzpatrick, who currently serves as Mayor Ted Wheeler’s director of economic development, has agreed to join Prosper Portland as interim economic development director.
Prosper Portland’s Board of Commissioners anticipates selecting an executive recruiting firm and launching a nationwide search for the new executive director in the near future.
On Wednesday, the Prosper Portland Board of Commissioners also authorized a purchase and sale agreement for a parcel of land on SE Water Avenue, commonly known as “Block B” of the Workshop Blocks to Beam Construction & Management LLC and Colas Development Group LLC, along with an exclusivity term sheet for Blocks A and C of the Workshop Blocks. Beam and Colas plan to build a 3,500 person capacity music venue on Block B, with Live Nation as the venue operator. Prosper Portland is selling Block B for fair market value of $2,410,000 and reserving up to $749,000 in Central Eastside district funds to cover environmental remediation expenses. Frequently Asked Questions about this project
Finally, the Board approved a $10 million forgivable loan to Williams and Russell Community Development Corporation and Black Business Hub, LLC for environmental remediation, predevelopment, and construction at the Williams and Russell property site. In the early 1970s, the Portland Development Commission (now Prosper Portland) and the City of Portland condemned the site for the expansion of the Emanuel Hospital campus. The expansion was never realized and in 2017, site owner Legacy Emanuel Hospital, the City of Portland, and Prosper Portland committed to creating a process that would return the land back to the community for uses that recognizes the history of the site and benefit Portland’s Black community. With stewardship and leadership by the Williams and Russell Community Development Corporation, this investment will support 80-90 units of affordable rental apartments, 20 home ownership units, and a 30,000 square foot Black Business Hub.
