City Manager David Rowlands is pleased to announce the appointment of Chenin Dow as the City’s new Director of Community Development, following a national recruitment. She has 15½ years of experience with the City of Lancaster. Her first day will be Monday, January 13^th.
 
“She brings a strong skill set to meet our needs, given our downtown redevelopment efforts and the City Council’s priority for a new approach to economic development,” Assistant City Manager Chuen Wu said.
 
Mrs. Dow is the Assistant Director of the Lancaster Community Development Department, managing the economic development, housing, and film offices functions for the City. She previously served as Senior Manager of Real Estate and Economic Development, and prior to that was the Assistant to the City Manager. One of her significant experiences included the management of the Medical Main Street initiative to develop Lancaster's health care district.
 
Among her skills are leadership and contract negotiation, managing real estate portfolios, and negotiating development agreements and public-private partnerships.
 
She holds a Master of Arts degree in Spanish language and literature from California State University, Long Beach. She is fluent in Spanish and Italian.
 
Dana Eady, who served as Interim Director during the recruitment, will return to duties as Planning Manager. She will continue to oversee the City’s comprehensive General Plan update and development review.
 
The Community Development Department is responsible for the Planning and Building Divisions as well as Code Enforcement and the Community Programs Division. The department has 33 employees and an overall operating budget of approximately $8.4 million.