Cynthia Stewart

Cynthia Stewart Cindy brings over 30 years of experience in community engagement and retail real estate advocacy as senior community development and public policy executive with a commitment to public-private partnerships and corporate social responsibility.

Cindy specializes in building bridges between the public and private sectors to create opportunities and navigate the government regulatory process ensuring connections, communication, and collaborations leading to successful retail development.

Cindy is an independent contractor working with clients in North America. She provides Senior Public Policy & Community Development services to Goman York Property Advisors and Community Engagement and Outreach services to Retail Strategies including a collaboration with Retail Strategies to develop an online course “Retail as a Catalyst for Economic Development” which is being offered to local governments in partnership with the National League of Cities University (NLCU).

She previously was employed by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) as Vice President, Community Development, prior to that she held positions of Manager of State Government Relations and Director of Community Relations. Her career with ICSC spanned 21 years, while there she led a team that created programs and initiatives focused on emerging issues, real estate challenges, and overcoming obstacles to retail development. She facilitated task forces and initiatives comprised of diverse national, state, and local volunteer groups representing business, development, elected officials, and economic development professionals. These efforts led to the publication of research, reports, best practices and recommendations and guides for attracting and retaining business. Before her career at ICSC, she worked in state and local government as a state senate chief of staff and city clerk.

SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS

 Cindy is a frequent speaker at conferences and events - including the International Downtown Association, National League of Cities, International Economic Development Council, National Association of Counties, Alberta Economic Developers, Economic Developers Council of Ontario and additional state-level organizations and associations.

 Presented a webinar for the Downtown Development District of New Orleans "Downtown Retail-Marketing & Other Steps to Drive Business During the Recovery Phases of COVID-19”.

 Presenter & Panelist for District of Columbia Business & Industry Association (DCBIA) webinar – "Mitigating Risk in Retail".

 Served as Project Facilitator for the Massachusetts Local Rapid Recovery Plan providing consulting and technical assistance to two of the 124 participating communities. The program approach utilized data analysis, a local business survey, community assessments, community meetings, collaboration, and the strength of knowledge from municipal officials, local businesses, the community, and the Planned Facilitators to develop actionable and realistic projects to support communities in the short-term to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic with an objective to build stronger, more vibrant communities in the long-term.

 Cindy is the co-author of Development in Underserved Retail Markets, published by the International Council of Shopping Centers. She currently serves on the Steering Committee for Chicago TREND (a social enterprise focused on neighborhood transforming catalytic retail development).

Member

International Downtown Association (IDA), International Economic Development Council (IEDC), and International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)

EDUCATION

BAAS in Public Administration from Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, TX; 2019 graduate of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility; ICSC University of Shopping Centers School of Economic Development; ICSC School for Professional Development – Shopping Center Management Strategic Management & Performance Measurement – management concepts training

PERSONAL

Cindy resides in Greer, South Carolina but at heart is a travel maven. With a passion for photography and cooking, she also loves to end a day with a nice glass of prosecco while spending time with family and friends.