The Directors Council announced Monday that Jerrica Marshall will become the council’s first executive director.

“I am honored to join The Directors Council as the new executive director,” Marshall said in a news release. “This organization is at the helm of positive change for not only Central Iowa, but the entire state. TDC is committed to ensuring that a stable economic footing and a thriving communal environment exists for all Iowans.”

TDC is a nonprofit consisting of CEOs and executive directors of several Des Moines area organizations who work to improve the conditions of people in the neighborhoods they serve.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jerrica Marshall as the new and first executive director of The Directors Council,” Teree Caldwell-Johnson, chair of the board of directors, said in a prepared statement. “With her exceptional leadership skills and a proven ability to build strong relationships, we are confident that she will be instrumental in advancing our mission and serving as a catalyst for positive change in creating one economy for all.”

In her previous role as downtown placemaking manager at the Greater Des Moines Partnership, Marshall spearheaded a placemaking taskforce composed of partnership investors and regional community stakeholders to create activations that included the Great DSM Hot Air Balloon Hunt, Downtown DSM Tweet Week and Out to Lunch.

Marshall also led the creation of and played a leading role in the implementation of the Spark DSM Minority Business Incubator, a pilot project in 2022. The program helped connect dozens of minority-owned businesses to major downtown events, including the Downtown Farmers Market presented by UnityPoint Health – Des Moines and the World Food & Music Festival presented by Veridian Credit Union.