Kimberlee McKee, Longmont Downtown Development Authority’s executive director, received the 2023 Vicki Mattox Downtowner of the Year award from Downtown Colorado, Inc. this week for her commitment to making Longmont’s downtown a better place.
McKee joined the LDDA as executive director in 2011. During her tenure, McKee has shown commitment to Longmont’s downtown and to the community through a series of accomplishments and collaborations, including:
- Recruiting and stewarding numerous mixed-use catalyst projects to revitalize and transform downtown Longmont (Roosevelt Park Apartments, South Main Station and The Spoke on Coffman).
- Working with stakeholders to update the Downtown Master Plan in 2017 from its previous iteration in 1995.
- Rallying local creative organizations to apply for and secure Downtown Longmont’s designation as a Certified Colorado Creative District through Colorado Creative Industries. In 2022, she helped spearhead the launch of Longmont Creates, a 501(c)3 non-profit arm of the Creative District.
- Leading efforts to secure Downtown Longmont’s designation as a National Historic District through the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.
- Continually connecting with stakeholders and downtown business owners. Holds numerous monthly and quarterly committee meetings with various downtown stakeholders - property owners, business owners, residents, developers, real estate agents, City Staff, etc.
- Championing arts & entertainment, creative industries, and community events in downtown Longmont. The LDDA produces, facilitates, and supports a multitude of creative events within downtown Longmont, including the Downtown Summer Concerts, Winter Walkabout Music Showcase, Second Saturday Creative Crawl, Holiday Plaza Lighting, Small Business Saturday, and ArtWalk, among others.
“Kimberlee’s multi-faceted skillset along with her grace and humility are recognized by all who work with her, and she is an extremely valuable asset to any team.” DCI writes. “Her leadership, vision, and commitment to local small businesses have helped transform Downtown Longmont into an active, vibrant place that is appreciated by the community and has a bright future ahead.”
McKee was honored at the Rialto Theater on April 13 alongside fellow 2023 Downtowner of the Year recipients Susan Edmonson, president & CEO of the Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs, and Jesse Silverstein, founder and executive director of the Colorado Brownfields Foundation.
“Since 2011, Kimberlee McKee has modeled exceptional leadership and outstanding service to the LDDA, Longmont community, and businesses. She has a community-driven mindset of bringing diverse stakeholders together to bring a vision to reality and has done this her entire professional career,” says LDDA Board Chairman, Dr. Chris McGilvray.
“I am so lucky to work with amazing staff, board, business owners and members of the community. This award is an honor and it means so much to me that people have recognized our collective work in Longmont,” McKee said.
McKee hopes to continue evolving Longmont’s Downtown into a “place that people want to invest, live, work and play,” she said.
