Chrisie Berry is Downtown PG’s new executive director

Chrisie Berry has been chosen as the new executive director of Downtown PG. She will succeed Colleen Van Mook, who has served as executive director since 2016.

Berry has over a decade of experience and an extensive background in areas such as finance and corporate communications. She has lived and worked in Prince George since 2012.

Her most recent role was communications and community relations co-ordinator with the Prince George Airport Authority, a position she held for the past seven years.

One of the most important lessons Berry has learned throughout her career is the significance of customer experience, something she hopes to use to improve downtown for everyone in the community.

“The basis of my career has been customer experience and how we can make that better,” said Berry. “Things like how we deliver on a brand. I really come at this with everyone in mind. I'm good at looking at things objectively and making sure all parties are heard and considered when making decisions. For this position, that'll include downtown businesses, what the city is looking at, any social issues present downtown, tourism, and other partners and stakeholders we work with.”

Berry also told The Citizen that she looks forward to applying her skills to continue the work her predecessor has done to develop downtown Prince George.

“I’m looking forward to utilizing my background and skills to continue the work on Downtown Prince George that Colleen has built over the last 10 years,” said Berry. “I want to see where else we can take that, and I’m excited to be part of developing the downtown area, whether that’s for safety, business awareness, nightlife, or any of the things that I know people want to see downtown.”

Her initial ideas for improving downtown focus on securing funding for development and improvements that are already in progress.

“What I want to do is get in there and engage with what downtown has been working on and see if I can help enhance that,” said Berry. “I want to look for more funding because I think that’s what’s really going to drive those initiatives — having the dollars behind them.”

As a Prince George local, Berry understands how her role can impact the image of the city and how people interact downtown. She hopes her new role will encourage more people to visit and engage with the unique businesses that Prince George has to offer.

“There’s a big push from a lot of people for downtown cleanup and things like that,” said Berry. “I think the community needs to know what businesses are downtown. There are some people who never come down here. The other piece is making sure the community knows what type of events are hosted downtown and when they should come and bring their families. So, I think that will be important.”

Berry will begin her role as the new executive director of Downtown PG on April 7, with her predecessor, Colleen Van Mook, retiring in early May.