A Message from the Waukegan Main Street Board President

Our New Executive Director!

Please join me in welcoming Violet Ricker as our new Executive Director, effective today.

You may already know Violet. She first came to Main Street as a volunteer last fall and has served as part-time Associate Director for the past five months.

I'll be upfront by saying that I'm excited about Violet's appointment. She comes to us with a near perfect skill set. She's charming, energetic, experienced, and has a degree in non-profit management (since Saturday!). When the search committee interviewed her last December, she came in with a realistic, seven page strategic plan for Main Street. We were blown away! The past 5 months of her part-time work as confirmed that she's the right person for the job.

Here's a little background about Violet. Downtown is in her blood, it seems. She was born in Waukegan and says that "some of my earliest memories are of library story times and downtown church services. I often visited class when Mom was teaching at CLC and walked to Ace Hardware with Dad." In high school, she worked at the Waukegan Public Library and the Waukegan Harbor. She always enjoyed the chance to welcome visitors to her hometown and to share her excitement about Genesee Street. Her favorite project back then was volunteering with the Genesee Theatre restoration where she got to experience first-hand the revitalization of a historic building. She says that it taught her what happens when a community comes together with a common goal.

Violet graduated from Waukegan High School and went on to study political science at George Washington University in Washington, DC. She then returned to complete a Bachelors degree in Non-Profit Management at North Park University in Chicago. In the meantime, she's worked with non-profits in Springfield, Chicago, and Washington, so she brings a wealth of experience. She's done office management, volunteer coordination, fundraising, event planning, membership drives, and social networking.

Violet is very clear about her priorities. "My most immediate goal is for everyone in the Waukegan to know all of the amazing places that are open in their own downtown right now." She says that she invites everyone in Lake County to visit downtown and experience all of the shops, boutiques, salons, bars, and restaurants. She wants you to come downtown with some friends from other towns. With the number of new places opening in downtown Waukegan, she says "This is the time we have been waiting for."

(Yes, sometimes she does seem speak with her words underlined. One of her favorite words is 'awesome'. If you've met her you know that her excitement is infectious.)

With her good leadership at the helm, I agree that this is the time we have been waiting for. Main Street is about renovating downtown in partnership, and together with the City, downtown's vibrant cultural arts community and local business owners, I look forward to an exciting summer and many more years of progress.

Welcome aboard, Violet.

Dr. JD Donovan
Board President, Waukegan Main Street