The Board of Directors for the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road Main Street (SDRMS) is currently accepting applications for new members. Volunteers with diverse backgrounds are sought, but particular attention will be paid to those with legal, small business, marketing, promotions, communications, financial, or grant writing experience.

To apply, please fill out a board application form here by May 1 and a board member will be in touch with you. Interviews will be conducted on Sunday May 5 in the afternoon. As part of your application, please be prepared to address the following questions:

1. Why do you want to serve on the Board of Directors for the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road Main Street program?
2. What strengths will you bring to the board?
3. Any special skills & relevant community experience to share

Below is more information about serving on the board

What are the expectations for board members?

Board members are expected to make a serious, ethical, and active commitment to support the mission of the SDRMS organization. Through this commitment, they serve on committees, regularly attend board meetings, review budget information, implement projects and policies, as well as willingly volunteer, accept, and complete ad hoc assignments. This includes staying informed on committee matters, preparing for meetings, reviewing Main Street documentation, and participating in fundraising. Importantly, Board members will work collegially and collaboratively with their colleagues on the Board, community volunteers, and the Executive Director to achieve consensus on tasks. Board members must agree to generally accepted ethical standards, regarding confidentiality, prohibitions regarding self-dealing and disclosing any real or potential conflict of interest as it relates to SDRMS business and recuse themselves from any discussion or vote regarding that particular issue.

What committees will be formed, and will board members be expected to join committees?

The foundational committees currently being established focus around Governance/Organization, Communications/Promotions, Resource/Business development/Economic Vitality, Finance, and Design to align with the Main Street approach. Ad hoc subcommittees will likely form around small business development, technical assistance, legal matters, streetscape and public space beautification, and retail surveys. Board members are expected to actively participate and be engaged in at least one committee.

How many hours are expected for Board members to commit to?

Board members should expect to commit to 6-10 hours of Board activities per month. Board members should anticipate regularly participating in the weekly hour Board conference call, at least 75 percent of the two-hour in-person Board meetings every other month per year, and a handful of hours throughout the month to achieve the goals of their agreed upon work and service to the SDRMS program.

The South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road Main Street volunteer community board of directors and the fiscal sponsor, Center for Nonprofit Advancement, have officially announced the hiring of Executive Director Edwin Washington. If you attended the community kickoff meeting, you had an opportunity to meet him there and learn how to get involved. Please see the official hiring announcement below.

March 11, 2019–The Center for Nonprofit Advancement is pleased to announce South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road Main Street welcomes its new Executive Director Edwin D. Washington. Funded through a grant awarded by the District Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD), the new South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road Main Street organization will utilize public-private partnerships and community volunteers to build on neighborhood assets and implement strategies to support and improve the business corridors in the Lamond-Riggs and Manor Park neighborhoods. As Executive Director, Edwin Washington will serve as the lead champion, visionary and implementer of this new Main Street.

Prior to taking on this new role, Edwin provided business development and fundraising consulting through his Washington Worldwide firm and served as volunteer Church Administrative Officer with Walker Memorial Baptist Church.  

Edwin’s career has included:

•  Business leadership roles in entertainment, energy and education

•  Nonprofit leadership roles in youth development, international relations and fundraising

•  Government leadership roles in job creation and internal affairs 

He has served as Vice President of Business Development with America’s Charities and has also held leadership positions with Greater Washington Boys & Girls Clubs, Goodwill of Greater Washington, Youth for Understanding, District Cablevision and the District of Columbia Government.

Edwin holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Baltimore. He resides in the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road Main Street community with his wife and daughters.

The founding Main Street Board of Directors includes leadership from the Lamond-Riggs and Manor Park communities. The Center provides fiscal and organizational management, leadership and technical assistance.

Guest Post by David Kosub, SDA-Riggs Road Main Street Board of Directors

Thanks to all who attended the community kick-off meeting for the South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road Main Street program. Through this initiative, we aim to organize improvement efforts for the commercial corridors located on South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road in Lamond-Riggs as well as 3rd Street NW in Manor Park.

For those unable to attend, we presented the scope and goals of the program focused around improving these corridors through streetscape branding and beautification, retaining our small businesses and non-profits in the area, and helping to recruit new ones. Folks also met the community volunteer Board of Directors, newly hired executive director Edwin Washington, and the fiscal sponsor Center for Nonprofit Advancement. Representatives from the offices of Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd and Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie gave congratulatory remarks.

The kick-off presentation is available here for you to learn more.

Our new Main Street wants your help. Community members are invited to volunteer their time, expertise, and interest in areas such as small business support, marketing, design and branding, legal, communications, event planning, and more. For this program to be a success, it needs your passion and engagement.

If you would like to volunteer for a specific committee or just want to remain informed as we move along, please fill out the following form here and email it back to SouthDakotaRiggsMainStreet@gmail.com. Everybody is welcome to help, so please join us!

Reminder about the Main Street community kickoff meeting tomorrow–

The South Dakota Avenue-Riggs Road NE Main Street Board of Directors invites you to attend a community kick-off meeting to learn all about the recently announced South Dakota Ave & Riggs Road Main Street program.

When: Friday, February 22, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Culture Coffee Too (300 Riggs Road NE )

Who:  Neighbors, families, friends, business owners, local non-profit leaders, elected officials, community activists, and all others from the Lamond-Riggs, Manor Park, Michigan Park, Fort Totten, and Takoma areas

Why: Because the Main Street wants your support and help

This kick-off meeting will be a great opportunity to meet the volunteer community Board of Directors, the Executive Director, and the fiscal sponsor Center for Non-Profit Advancement 

The Board is looking for your help too! Community volunteers will be critical to  the success of our new Main Street. 

• Do you have experience with helping local small businesses grow and thrive?

• Do you have marketing, social media, event planning, design, or legal skills to lend to the cause?

• Do you have an aesthetic vision for how our communities should look and feel?

• Do you have skills organizing community members to achieve a common goal? 

• Do you want to help revitalize and facilitate a healthy, vibrant corridor that meets the needs of its residents?

• Do you have a passion for communicating with and reaching out to others in the neighborhood?

The Board looks forward to seeing you at the kick-off meeting. For questions, comments, or suggestions, please send an email to SouthDakotaRiggsMainStreet@gmail.com

The South Dakota Avenue-Riggs Road NE Main Street Board of Directors invites you to attend a community kick-off meeting to learn all about the recently announced South Dakota Ave & Riggs Road Main Street program.

When: Friday, February 22, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Culture Coffee Too (300 Riggs Road NE )

Who:  Neighbors, families, friends, business owners, local non-profit leaders, elected officials, community activists, and all others from the Lamond-Riggs, Manor Park, Michigan Park, Fort Totten, and Takoma areas

Why: Because the Main Street wants your support and help

This kick-off meeting will be a great opportunity to meet the volunteer community Board of Directors, the Executive Director, and the fiscal sponsor Center for Non-Profit Advancement 

The Board is looking for your help too! Community volunteers will be critical to  the success of our new Main Street. 

• Do you have experience with helping local small businesses grow and thrive?

• Do you have marketing, social media, event planning, design, or legal skills to lend to the cause?

• Do you have an aesthetic vision for how our communities should look and feel?

• Do you have skills organizing community members to achieve a common goal? 

• Do you want to help revitalize and facilitate a healthy, vibrant corridor that meets the needs of its residents?

• Do you have a passion for communicating with and reaching out to others in the neighborhood?

The Board looks forward to seeing you at the kick-off meeting. For questions, comments, or suggestions, please send an email to SouthDakotaRiggsMainStreet@gmail.com

The Center for Nonprofit Advancement is pleased to announce the creation of the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road Main Street Program.

Funded through a grant awarded by the District Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD), the Main Street Program will utilize public-private partnerships and community volunteers, build on neighborhood assets, and implement strategies to support and improve the business corridors in the Riggs Park and Manor Park neighborhoods.

The search for an executive director is open! Submit a cover letter and resume to SouthDakotaRiggsMainStreet@gmail.com with “Application SDA-Riggs Road Main Street ED” in the subject line. Applications may be submitted in Microsoft Word or pdf format. The deadline to apply is 5:00 pm on January 14, 2019.