Josh Rogers Email & Phone Number

Macon, Ga

Appointed in April of 2014, I assumed leadership of NewTown Macon amid downtown Macon's hastening revitalization. I work for NewTown's Board of Directors, whose members represent the top tier of leadership in finance, real estate, industry, health care, education and small business. Together, NewTown's staff and Directors pursue our mission to to implement the community’s vision of a comprehensive, coordinated, and continuous plan for revitalizing downtown Macon, Georgia. Our projects fit into a three-tier strategy for revitalization: Growing Jobs, Increasing Residents and Creating a Sense of Place. Our signature projects include the creation and expansion of the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail, and a loft loan program that is adding hundreds of lofts to downtown Macon every year.

Macon, Georgia Area

Historic Macon Foundation provides staff support to the mission of the Historic Hills and Heights Development Corporation in its mission to revitalize Macon's neighborhoods. During my tenure at Historic Macon, I also provided executive leadership to Historic Hills and Heights under this management agreement. Efforts focused on Beall's Hills. The Corporation consisted of three directors: The Hon. Robert A.B. Reichert, Mayor of Macon, Mr. William D. Underwood, President of Mercer University and Ms. June Parker, Executive Director of the Macon Housing Authority. The partnership of these top-tier leaders is core to the success of the Beall's Hill Neighborhood Revitalization Project, and boasts over $4 million in direct neighborhood investment since 2009. The organization's funds were used in a "revolving fund" model for the neighborhood, encouraging development consistent with the master plan for the neighborhood.

Leading Historic Macon, revenues increased by 4.5 times, we completed nearly $5 million in construction projects, revitalized over 40 properties, loaned over $300,000 to private owners for rehabilitation, nominated over 1,000 buildings to the National Register of Historic Places and doubled Historic Macon’s revolving funds to over $2 million. I provided executive level planning and leadership to all aspects of implementing Historic Macon's mission as one of the nation's premier historic preservation non-profits including strategic visioning, fund raising, grants management, human resource management, preservation planning, neighborhood revitalization, investment management, economic development, urban planning, real estate development, construction management, political advocacy while reporting directly to the community volunteers serving on our Board of Trustees.

I was responsible for independently establishing new programs to encourage economic development in Macon, GA, answering to the politically-appointed Director of Economic and Community Development. My primary responsibility was to counsel existing and new businesses to help them start, survive and grow in challenging economic times. During my tenure, I successfully wrote, secured legislative approval and instituted Macon's first PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Tax) and PILOT bond programs to enable the redevelopment of properties in the City Center.

One of my primary responsibilities while working for the City of Macon was to provide start-up administration for the College Hill Corridor project, answering directly to the group of community volunteers serving on the College Hill Corridor Commission. As the first and only staff person, I was responsible for grant applications and administration, business recruitment to a then-abandoned neighborhood commercial center (now Mercer Village), organizational branding, web site development, community engagement and public outreach to establish the initiative and recruit political and grass-roots buy-in. Most significantly, I managed the RFQ, RFP, contracting and staff support that created the College Hill Corridor Master Plan. That plan attracted a $5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and is currently being implemented by a community wide cooperative called the College Hill Alliance.

My introduction to historic preservation and economic development at NewTown Macon prompted my application for a scholarship to study historic preservation abroad, which was awarded in 2006. At NewTown, I was responsible for research on historic buildings, historic preservation planning and applications conforming to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation to secure federal and state tax incentives for rehabilitation projects. I also assisted businesses with relocation to downtown including site selection, permitting and design approval and financial incentive programs.

Ma, Conservation Studies (Historic Buildings)

Activities and Societies: Attended the Institute of Advanced Architectural Studies where I completed my thesis on the phenomenology.

Ba, Southern Studies, History

Activities and Societies: Summa Cum Laude, University Honors, Dept. Honors Scholarships • Presidential Scholar, Governor’s Scholar, Robert.