Georgetown BID Announces New CEO
The Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID) is pleased to announce Deborah Kerson Bilek as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Bilek is an executive leader with over 20 years of experience in policy, planning, and public and nonprofit management in the Metropolitan Washington Region. She most recently served as the Executive Director of ULI Washington, a member organization with a mission to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact.
“We believe Deb’s mix of public and private experience and strong strategic visioning will prove invaluable as she leads the Georgetown BID in its next chapter,” said Terese Wilson, Chair of the Georgetown BID Board of Directors. “She is a consensus builder, and we have no doubt she will bring BID members, the community, and city partners together to further initiatives that will benefit Georgetown.”
In her role at ULI, Bilek viewed herself as the “Chief Relationship Officer” for the organization’s 2,100 members who span a diverse network of private and public professionals in the real estate and land use industry. Bilek worked at ULI for over a decade in progressively senior roles, including as ULI’s Vice President, Advisory Services, where she supervised and managed the operations of the global Advisory Services Program through COVID.
Prior to her time at ULI, Bilek worked as a planner at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, supporting the National Capital Regional Transportation Planning Board. She has also served as staff in the Legislative and Executive branches of the Federal Government. She began her career in Washington, D.C., as a Presidential Management Fellow with the Federal Transit Administration.
Bilek holds an Executive Certificate in Facilitation from Georgetown University. She earned her master’s degree in public administration from New York University, and her undergraduate degree in anthropology magna cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis.
As CEO of the BID, Bilek will be responsible for shaping Georgetown’s future as Washington’s premier mixed-use neighborhood, advancing initiatives across retail, office, hospitality, entertainment, and residential sectors. She will report to the Board of Directors and will be responsible for the guidance and management of the BID’s staff in administration and financial reporting as well as directing the day-today activities of the BID.
“I am passionate about building community, and I enjoy working across sectors and with multiple stakeholders to achieve a common purpose,” said Bilek. “I am also a firm believer in the power that BIDs can have as drivers of economic vitality and growth—both for the neighborhoods they serve and for the larger cities in which they are located. Georgetown is an amazing and unparalleled neighborhood—its location, history, character, and corridors draw local, national, and international visitors every day. I am so excited about the opportunity to serve the community as the BID’s CEO and look forward to getting started!”
Bilek will officially begin as CEO of the Georgetown BID in mid-April.
