Ellen Baer is the Hudson Square Connection’s first President and CEO, having joined just prior to its official opening on July 1, 2009. She is ultimately responsible for all the BID’s activities, and reports directly to the Connection’s Board of Directors. As the face of the organization, she’s always out and about meeting people, listening to their concerns and promoting the district as a great place to work and play.
Prior to joining the Hudson Square Connection, Ellen developed and implemented public-private real estate partnerships in New York City and nationally for over 25 years. She also spent two years as Senior Vice President for Development Strategies at the Tarragon Development Corporation, which she joined after 12 years as a Partner at the economic development and real estate consulting firm of HRA Advisors, Inc. Prior to joining the private sector, her career in New York City government spanned 14 years during which she served as Chief of Staff to the First Deputy Mayor, Vice President for Waterfront Development at the Public (now Economic) Development Corporation and Director of the Concessions Division for the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Ellen currently sits on the Board of Women Executives in Real Estate (WX). She is also a former Board member of Gay Men’s Health Crisis and the International Economic Development Council. Ellen holds a BA from Hamilton College and an MBA from Baruch College.
Ellen is a big Yankee and Jet fan, a lover of the spoken and written word, and a political junkie.
William Budd is the Senior Economic Development Analyst at the Hudson Square Connection. He is responsible for providing information to business and property owners regarding programs and incentives, creating business attraction and retention strategies, short-term and long-term retail strategies, and developing a repository of information about the properties and businesses within the district.
Before joining the Connection, William worked for 6 years as an urban planning consultant representing property owners and municipalities in New York and New Jersey. His experience ranges from site specific land use and zoning issues to large scale redevelopment sites. William earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, his Master of City and Regional Planning degree from Rutgers University, and is currently a part-time Real Estate Development student at the NYU Schack Institute.
William is interested in real estate development and is a big sports fan who bleeds green for his alma mater (Charlotte 49ers) and the NY Jets.
Suzy Changar is the Director of Marketing at the Hudson Square Connection. She is responsible for creating a marketing campaign and press strategy, with the goal of putting Hudson Square on the map by beautifying the area and enlivening the streets, creating a green, connected and environmentally sustainable community, and increasing retail offerings and Hudson Square’s general desirability as a commercial location.
Before joining the Hudson Square Connection, Suzy was a freelancer on two projects – the River To River Festival in which she developed a local marketing and press campaign which garnered close to two billion impressions in the last two years, and the International Academy of Television, Arts & Sciences, where she coordinated a three-day business-to-business festival for television executives from around the world. During her early career Suzy worked in the music industry coordinating events and tours nationally and internationally. Suzy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the American University.
Suzy loves to run in the park, listen to live music and has the gift of gab.
Ben Jervis is the Connection’s Program Associate, providing varied support to the BID Staff. He coordinates all of Hudson Square Connection’s administrative functions, including database and office management, and performs outreach to city agencies on behalf of the BID. Additionally, he works with the Director of Marketing on constituent outreach and maintenance of the organization’s interactive website.
Ben received a B.A. in History from the University of Chicago, with a focus on 20th Century American urban development. While at school, he worked for two years at the Chicago Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, and previously held additional internships in local and federal government.
Ben is always learning new languages, loves ethnic cuisine, and is, tragically, a New York Mets fan.
Renee Schoonbeek is the Director of Planning at the Hudson Square Connection. She is responsible for managing the Connection’s planning process with the goal of developing a comprehensive streetscape improvement plan, including a traffic management strategy, which will embody our sustainability goals.
Renee is an urban planner originally from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. In her 18 years as a planning professional she has worked in both the public and private sectors, serving in various positions such as real estate developer, consultant and project manager. From 2007 to 2009, she served as Assistant District Manager for Manhattan Community Board 4 (Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen). She assisted the Board’s Transportation Planning, Waterfront & Parks and Landmarks Committees. In that capacity she has been involved with the public review of design proposals for the Hudson Park and Boulevard, and the City’s initiatives to improve pedestrian safety, create sustainable streets, and remake the public realm. Renee earned a Master’s Degree in Urban Geography and Planning from the University of Amsterdam.
Renee has a green thumb, is a devoted cyclist, and always brings stroopwafels for the HSC staff after a visit home.
