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Our speaker is Willow Wetherall, Executive Director, Downtown South Bend (DTSB)
"Shaping the Heart of South Bend: A Vision for Downtown’s Next Chapter"
Downtown South Bend is at a pivotal moment, with a new master plan guiding its future. In this talk, Willow Wetherall, Executive Director of Downtown South Bend, Inc., will share the vision behind the plan and what it means for economic development, public spaces, and community life in the city’s urban core. She’ll highlight how public input shaped the priorities, what implementation could look like, and why a vibrant city center is key to South Bend’s long-term vitality.
About the Speaker: Willow Wetherall utilizes more than a decade of economic and community development experience to bring positive changes to blighted areas and uplift underrepresented places and people. In recent years, she contributed to the Regional Cities Initiative team that brought $42 million to our region. She helped 120 women and minority-owned businesses throughout the pandemic as director of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative at Saint Mary’s College. Her own initiative, Ignite Michiana, coordinated events and connections that encouraged a thriving region. Following a national search in 2021, Will was selected as Executive Director of Downtown South Bend, a non-profit governed by a 30 member board including downtown business owners, downtown residents, local business leaders, the University of Notre Dame and City officials.
Willow is passionate about building equitable, thriving communities and championing creative, people-centered development. She has been instrumental in advancing initiatives that support small businesses, improve public spaces, and foster a vibrant, inclusive downtown.
Willow earned a dual BA from the University of Maine in International Affairs-Anthropology and Women's Studies and her MA from the University of Notre Dame in International Peace Studies. As a “downtown multi-gen family”, Willow, her mother, and her three awesome children all enjoy living in the Near Northwest Neighborhood.