Inspired Leader Award
Urban place management professionals are at the forefront of significant change throughout metropolitan areas around the globe. For downtowns and city centers to thrive, collaboration between staff, board members, consultants, elected officials, thought leaders and citizen advocates is vital. The IDA Inspired Leader Award honors individuals who have shown clear achievements in recent years, in addressing a broad range of issues. This award aims to recognize a leader within the IDA community and one outside the community who has made an impact on how people live, work and play in cities. Nominate your peers to elevate their outstanding work and those external champions for their contributions to the place management industry. Winners will be recognized during the Annual Conference & Marketplace in Washington, DC.
Submission Information and Instructions
The 2025 Inspired Leader Award nomination process is now open. Self-nominations will not be accepted. The form will close on Thursday, April 10, 2025. There is no cost nominate someone.
Submitters must include:
- Name of nominee and their contact information (phone number and e-mail address).
- Name of the organization they currently work for or most recently worked for.
- Location where nominee currently resides (city, state/province and country).
- Please complete the two prompts in Submittable detailing why your nominee deserves to be given the Inspired Leader Award. Include detailed information about their place management contributions, past achievements and current projects.
Nomination Examples
2024 Inspired Leader Award Winner: Mayor Muriel Bowser
Having served as Mayor since 2015, Mayor Muriel Bowser has demonstrated a strong commitment to the city’s growth and competitiveness. Notably, she has spearheaded initiatives to revitalize downtown DC, focusing on public safety, attracting businesses and building a residential base. Her efforts were recognized in 2024: “Since taking office, Mayor Bowser has boldly reset DC’s global and national competitiveness, sped up affordable housing production, diversified the DC economy, refocused efforts around achieving statehood, and invested in programs and policies that allow more families to live and thrive across the city.”
2024 Inspired Leader Award Winner: Brett Roler
Brett Roler, COO of Downtown Memphis Commission, is a driving force behind creating a vibrant and inclusive downtown for all. His commitment to fostering community and empowering his team was recognized in 2024: “Brett is passionate about his teammates advancing to become great stewards of the community. He not only cares about the planning and development of downtown, but he also cares about partnering entities that have similar initiatives.”
2023 Inspired Leader Award Winner: Mary-Claire Burick
Working at the intersection of economic development, placemaking and community engagement, Mary-Claire Burick, President of the Rosslyn BID in Arlington, Virginia, was honored as the 2023 winner: “Mary-Claire has leveraged her skill as a communicator, her training in change management and her experience as a consultant to develop innovative projects and programs beyond the core marketing, events, and clean and safe programs. These include large-scale activations, like partnering with the County to build a dog park, creating an IDA award-winning outdoor office and launching a regionally recognized business engagement program. Through her relationship building, Mary-Claire inspires her team to see that a leader can be effective and highly influential by being collaborative.”
Past Award Winners
View past award winners’ speeches here.
