This afternoon, Menomonee Valley Partners and its board of directors announced the appointment of Corey Zetts as executive director. 

Zetts takes the position after being named acting executive director last month. Prior to then, Zetts served as MVP's associate director. She succeeds Laura Bray, who held the title of executive director for 10 years. Bray is now currently the CEO of BIOforward, the trade association for Wisconsin's life science industry. 

"The Valley’s success is the result of bold vision, strong planning and collaboration across public and private sectors," said Mick Hatch, president of the Menomonee Valley Partners’ board of directors. "Our board knows that Corey’s expertise in urban redevelopment, enthusiasm for our work and relationships with our many stakeholders make her the best choice to lead MVP into the future."

A member of MVP since 2005, Zetts played an instrumental part in several of the non-profit organization's key projects, including MVP's redevelopment of the former Milwaukee Stockyards into the Canal Commerce Center, the redevelopment of the Milwaukee Road Shops into the Menomonee Valley Industrial Center and the recruiting of new businesses to the area. Zetts also played important roles in the creation of the Three Bridges Park, the completion of the Hank Aaron Trail and the establishment of the Menomonee Valley branch of the Urban ecology Center.

"The recent revitalization of the Valley has been extraordinary and has helped make Milwaukee a model of sustainable redevelopment," Zetts said. "I am excited to work with our strong board, staff and partners as we continue to help move the Valley towards its full potential. We will be focusing on revitalizing the many underutilized properties that remain in the Valley, capitalizing on upcoming infrastructure projects and continuing to help connect Milwaukee's labor force with job opportunities in the Valley."

One of the first big projects for Zetts as executive director comes in the form of the "Valley 2.0 Plan," a market study and land use plan for the Valley that MVP and the City of Milwaukee have been developing throughout 2014. The plan, expected to be completed by this winter, will guide the next phase of redevelopment in the Menomonee Valley area. MVP expects an organizational strategic plan to be completed in correlation with Valley 2.0 Plan as well.