Angela Riley Clayborne, who has served Lancaster residents for more than a decade as a part of the City's Parks, Recreation and Arts Department, has recently joined the Economic Development Division to spearhead The BLVD Association and the City's Visitors Bureau, Destination Lancaster.

Riley most recently served as a supervisor at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH). She previously coordinated special events for the City, including the weekly farmer's market and the MLK Day of Service. She also performed vendor relations duties for the California Poppy FestivalTM as well as other Downtown events.

"I'm very excited to put my skill set to work in this new arena," said Riley. Chenin Dow, who previously worked with downtown merchants and hoteliers, has been an invaluable mentor and coach, according to Riley. Dow will continue to oversee the overall operations for both of these public/private partnerships, with Riley stepping forward as liaison between the City and the two Business Improvement Districts (BIDs).

BIDs are joint efforts between local businesses and local government that help promote and operate assets within the respective district. Businesses and property owners within The BLVD district voted to assess themselves a fee to support activities along The BLVD. Similarly, local hoteliers voted to assess an added "bed tax" to help fund the tourism efforts of