COURTESY ANGELITO JUSAY PHOTOGRAPHY
By Jaimie Julia Winters
winters@montclairlocal.news
A Montclair resident and the current executive director of the Flatiron 23rd Street Partnership BID in New York will become the next Montclair Center Business Improvement District’s executive director.
Jennifer Brown will begin in Montclair as the BID’s executive director on Nov. 12.
“We are extremely excited to have someone with such extensive BID experience becoming our next executive director. Jennifer will not only enhance the BID’s successes but will also bring an incredible wealth of knowledge and vision to her hometown,” said Phil Cantor, president of the BID.
Israel Cronk resigned last month to take a position in Florida marketing and branding his friend’s company, Clix Wipers.
Brown, who has lived in Montclair with her family for over a decade, has been active in the PTAs at Bradford, Buzz Aldrin and Hillside schools.
“This is my community, and I have a vested interest in the ongoing success and vibrancy of Montclair Center,” Brown said.
READ: Cronk to trade Montclair for Florida and windshield wipers
During her 12 years at the Flatiron BID, she launched a program that created public plazas featuring free WiFi, food kiosks and events; created free year-round event programming and neighborhood networking opportunities; and developed a master plan for streetscape beautification.
Chairman of the Flatiron Partnership’s Board of Directors Gregg Schenker called Brown a “true gem.
“She is dedicated, caring, innovative, and thoughtful. While we will deeply miss her, we know that she is leaving a stronger, better Flatiron,” Schenker said.
Brown said her early initiatives will include a strategic planning symposium, a listening tour of the BID district, and continuation of the successful programs such as parklets, CenterStage and Art Walk.
She will become the fourth director to lead the Montclair BID, which was founded in 2002. Cronk had been executive director of the BID since 2016, the third person to hold that title. He was a board member with the BID and the manager of Bangz Salon and Wellness Spa before taking the reins from Luther Flurry in April 2016.