Heather Schroeder is the Deputy Director & Director of Economic Development for the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc. She cultivates the downtown district’s growth through market research, grant funding, placemaking programs, business development, real estate guidance, and cross-sector collaboration. Heather volunteers as Vice Chair and Trustee of the Everson Museum of Art and serves on the board of the University Neighborhood Preservation Association. She earned a B.S. in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University and a Master of City and Regional Planning with concentrations in historic preservation and affordable housing from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She enjoys walking through cities with her husband Petter and dog Greta and is guilty of taking photos of other downtowns' trash cans while on vacation.