Four finalists have been named for downtown Traverse City’s top leadership position. The four candidates for Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) executive director – all of whom are from the Midwest, including two local candidates and two candidates from Detroit and Toledo – will interview for the position at a public meeting tentatively scheduled for June 7.

DDA board members went into closed session Friday to choose finalists from a field of 25 candidates presented by consulting firm Double Haul Solutions, which is leading the search process. According to Double Haul Solutions CEO Nate Geinzer, “applicants came from diverse backgrounds, both within and outside the state of Michigan.” He says the pool also “reflected the board’s interest in seeing individuals who exhibited strong leadership and communication skills.”

After a preliminary screening process, Double Haul Solutions presented eight candidates to the DDA board in three tiers based on desired characteristics including “communications, community building, organizational strategy, interpersonal leadership, tenacity, and collaboration,” according to Geinzer. Board members then winnowed that field to four finalists (names and other identifying information were not disclosed to the board at that point). Though granted confidentiality up until that stage, the four finalists were named publicly once they agreed to be interviewed.

Geinzer says next steps will involve “preparing each finalist for on-site interviews and related activities over a two-day period, tentatively scheduled for June 6 and June 7.” The interviews will be conducted publicly, with times on June 7 to be announced as soon as they’re finalized. Once a final candidate is chosen, Double Haul Solutions will “conduct a full background check and assist the DDA, as requested, in determining employment offer terms and negotiating the contract,” according to Geinzer.

With the DDA in a crucial period of transition – including attempting to establish a new 30-year tax increment financing (TIF) plan called Moving Downtown Forward to replace TIF 97 – DDA board member Gary Howe says the executive director search is fundamental to ensuring “downtown remains a vital hub for the entire region, enhancing our community's well-being and economic energy.” He believes the next executive director “must be not only visionary but also a committed advocate for Traverse City's unique needs.”

In addition to resumes and letters of interest, candidates also submitted essay responses to written prompts. Here is an overview of the four finalists for DDA executive director (listed in alphabetical order), including excerpts from their essay responses.

Holly Ball
Bio: Holly Ball most recently served as senior manager with Ebeid Neighborhood Promise, a ProMedica-based initiative to empower communities. She has 18 years of experience leading nonprofit programs throughout the Greater Toledo Metro area, including serving as the county extension director for the Ohio State University Extension.
How Her Experiences Have Equipped Her to Lead the DDA: With a “strong background in proactive outreach and public education,” Ball says she’s experienced in “creating and maintaining long-term symbiotic relationships” and is “most comfortable serving under a board of directors.” She adds: “For me, there is no better method of charting paths forward than through harnessing the collective wisdom of a group of experts. Especially when those individuals have been appointed through city leadership.”
Most Significant Opportunity for DDA During Leadership Transition: Ball says the next leader will have the opportunity “to provide a fresh voice” and work with the board to position the DDA “as the trusted expert, go-to collaborator, and nucleus behind a sustainable and thriving downtown Traverse City.” The new hire will “hit the ground running at a pivotal point this summer prior to November’s ballot implications,” Ball acknowledges, referring to a TIF charter amendment on the city ballot.
What Drove Her to Apply: Ball says she’s eager to return home to her native Michigan “after having gathered a unique set of skills through professional and personal experiences. Combining my professional nonprofit administration acumen with my personal passion for promoting Michigan’s natural resources seem to fit perfectly with the position description.”
Other Comments: “Tenacious diplomacy is at the core of effectively driving transformational projects forward,” Ball says. “I would demonstrate this through balancing short and long-term goals, implementing change management best practices, and showing up in as many supportive ways possible for downtown Traverse City.”

Harry Burkholder
Bio: One of two Traverse City candidates, Harry Burkholder – the current DDA Interim CEO – previously served as DDA COO since 2019. Prior to that, he served as the executive director of the nonprofit Land Information Access Association.
How His Experiences Have Equipped Him to Lead the DDA: Previously serving on the DDA board for nine years combined with Burkholder’s staff experience has helped him “learn, understand, and facilitate many of the activities and projects that define the work and mission of the DDA,” he says. That includes helping guide the planning process for Moving Downtown Forward and creating the 2024-25 DDA budget.
Most Significant Opportunity for DDA During Leadership Transition: Burkholder lists four key transition opportunities, including accountability and staff culture, messaging and communication, focus, and board governance. “I believe the new executive director has an opportunity to simplify and better articulate the mission and role of the DDA (and TIF) and build better relationships with community partners in support of our mission,” he says.
What Drove Him to Apply: Burkholder says that when he applied for DDA COO, he did so with the intention of applying for CEO/executive director should the position become available. “Quite simply, I love downtown Traverse City,” he says. “Even when I’m not working, I like to spend time downtown. My wife and I moved into the Central neighborhood because of its close proximity and easy access to downtown. My love for downtown is one of the reasons...I decided to change my career trajectory and apply for the COO position.”
Other Comments: “The DDA faces significant and complex challenges, including diminished community trust and a lack of understanding of the role of the DDA and what it has accomplished,” Burkholder says. “In addition, the DDA faces the possibility of losing tax increment financing, its primary funding source for the development and maintenance of public infrastructure. While these challenges may seem daunting, I believe they provide an opportunity to chart a new course for the DDA.”

Maxwell Cameron
Bio: Maxwell Cameron serves as a project manager with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and previously served as the executive director of Wayne Main Street. He has also worked with numerous nonprofits on management, partnership building, and fundraising.
How His Experiences Have Equipped Him to Lead the DDA: An economic development professional with leadership experience in infrastructure, beautification and placemaking projects – as well as marketing and event management – Cameron says he’d bring several skills to the DDA executive director role. Those include relationship building, project management (thinking “creatively in terms of planning and problem solving,” he says), and communications.
Most Significant Opportunity for DDA During Leadership Transition: “Leadership change offers a PR opportunity to market not only new leadership, but also highlight the work that the DDA is undertaking,” Cameron says. The transition “offers an opportunity to reset, reestablish, or forge new relationships with external partners and stakeholders,” he notes, adding he’d hope to reach community members “who haven’t been involved or are adversarial to the DDA.”
What Drove Him to Apply: Public service and Traverse City. “I am deeply committed to utilizing my economic development experience, leadership qualities, and project management experience to positively impact my community,” Cameron says. Having spent “significant” time in the area over the last five years, Cameron says Traverse City “is an exceptional community, and my long-term goal is to be a member of the local community working to make a difference within the city.”
Other Comments: “Overall, I have a calm demeanor and enjoy working collaboratively,” Cameron says. “What helps me mitigate issues is making sure that all voices are heard, talking through solutions, and implementing a plan on how to move forward.”

Laura Kingman
Bio: Another Traverse City candidate, Laura Kingman has 15 years of experience in leadership, project management, and real estate roles. She is a certified project management professional whose resume includes extensive work with the Walt Disney Company and Universal Studios and a recent stint at Great Lakes Stainless.
How Her Experiences Have Equipped Her to Lead the DDA: Kingman says her “diverse leadership background” – spanning construction, urban planning, tourist operations, nonprofit leadership, and marketing and communications – has given her a “breadth of experience applicable to many of the types of work that the TC DDA handles.” In addition to her years at Disney working in worldwide safety/accessibility and corporate alliance, Kingman has worked as an art instructor and on helping to “solve a community childcare desert in Benzie County.”
Most Significant Opportunity for DDA During Leadership Transition: “Leadership changes always afford the benefit of new perspectives and talents weighing in on the efforts of the organization,” Kingman says. “One of the most significant opportunities during this leadership transition is to diversify the perspectives on the board for the greatest connection to the residents of Traverse City.”
What Drove Her to Apply: “When I read the executive director job position description, what struck me was that I had applicable experience leading teams related to every segment of the DDA, from the holiday lights (I built 16 holiday parade floats for Universal Orlando), to the Arts Commission (I have a deep visual arts background and taught at Interlochen Arts Camp), to the DDA’s public infrastructure projects (I have a background in architecture, finance, and executive communication),” Kingman writes, adding she hopes to work with others on a “shared vision of a positive future for Traverse City.”
Other Comments: “I am an extrovert, an innovator, and a professional relationship-builder,” Kingman says. “My success comes from the synthesis of my artistic and analytical capabilities that I combine to produce truly strategic business results.”

Pictured, L-R top row: Holly Ball, Harry Burkholder, Maxwell Cameron, Laura Kingman