FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 29, 2019

Jamaica, Queens, New York City

Jamaica Center Business Improvement District Names Jennifer Furioli as New Executive Director

The Jamaica Center Business Improvement District, the BID covering the commercial area along Jamaica Avenue from Sutphin Boulevard to 169th Street and Union Hall Street, has appointed Jennifer Furioli as its new Executive Director.

Ms. Furioli most recently served with the New Rochelle Downtown Business Improvement District (NRBID), where she was responsible for overseeing the New Rochelle Grand Market, NRBID events and external NRBID communications. Partnering closely with NRBID’s Executive Director, Jennifer also worked on placemaking initiatives and providing additional advisory to the IDEA New Rochelle (Arts and Technology district) initiative. In 2018, she was a key member of the City of New Rochelle’s Mayors Challenge team: an interdisciplinary group of New Rochelle City executives, New Rochelle BID employees and technologists from IDEA New Rochelle competing against other cities nationwide to develop innovative solutions to city problems. New Rochelle’s team was one of nine cities to win the Mayors Challenge, resulting in a $1 million dollar implementation grant for the City of New Rochelle to utilize augmented and virtual reality as a tool to increase citizen engagement in the city planning process.

Prior to joining NRBID in 2016, Jennifer worked for one of New York City’s flagship BIDs, the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District in Manhattan. While at Lincoln Square, worked on a city-wide committee to make the UWS and Lincoln Square more age friendly District, raised sponsorship dollars for Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square, authored external BID communications, including, but not limited to the organization’s website, dining guide, annual reports, required City impact reports, and weekly constituent communications, and helped advocate for a newly-designed Dante Park. Her past experience also includes time at New York City’s Department of Small Business Services, which oversees the City’s network of 76 Business Improvement Districts.

“Our board is grateful to outgoing Executive Director Whitney Barrat for her leadership and service, and equally pleased to welcome Jennifer Furioli to the Jamaica Center BID,” said Board Chair Michael Hirschhorn. “More than ever, our board is committed to fostering strong community ties and partnerships with our retailers, community-based organizations, governmental entities and anchor institutions, and building a culture of organizational excellence. Jennifer is equally committed to our vision and we look forward to working with her and our many local partners to support this thriving retail and cultural hub in Jamaica.”

Ms. Furioli holds a B.A. in English Literature and Spanish Language from the University of Northern Colorado and a master’s degree in Public Administration from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.

“There were so many things that attracted me to this position,” stated Jennifer: I’m excited by the new development and retail that’s bringing a fresh sense of excitement to Jamaica, and also enthusiastic about the committed long-term retailers that have called Jamaica Center BID home for many years. What ultimately reeled me in was the community: the network of committed businesses, property owners, economic development, cultural, educational, governmental, and religious institutions that have invested in Jamaica for decades. My staff and I are committed to maintaining and growing those partnerships for the benefit of the Jamaica Center BID and overall Downtown Jamaica neighborhood and I can’t thank the BID’s Board of Directors enough for providing me the opportunity to serve this organization and community in the coming years.”