Near West Side Partners announced this week that
Lindsey St. Arnold Bell will serve as the organization’s next executive director.
She succeeds NWSP’s inaugural executive director
Keith Stanley, who, at the end of 2022, announced his departure from Milwaukee to become president and CEO of University City Partners in Charlotte, North Carolina. St. Arnold Bell has served as Near West Side Partners interim executive director since January of 2023.
“Lindsey is a bridge builder with the unique ability to connect to all the diverse stakeholders that make the organization's work possible, especially residents, public officials, business leaders and other community members, and we have the utmost confidence in her and her vision for the future of the Near West Side," said Rana Altenburg, Near West Side Partners board president.
St. Arnold Bell joined the organization in 2016 as associate director, a role in which she was responsible for leading operations and administration, including by launching the Live, Work, Play housing incentive program, planning and facilitating community events like Near West Side Week and helping secure grant funding to advance revitalization efforts in NWSP’s four key focus areas: safety, housing, health & wellness and economic development.
“I am honored to have been chosen to lead Near West Side Partners and continue to expand on the foundation we’ve built over the last 7 years,” said St. Arnold Bell. “The Near West Side is on the cusp of some incredible progress – progress that I look forward to shepherding in partnership with this community. Near West Side Partners has always existed to be a force-multiplier, convening individuals and organizations and activating opportunities. That focus on partnership and collective action will be at the root of my role as executive director. I look forward to empowering my staff and community as we work together to further our mission of ensuring the Near West Side’s full potential as a vibrant destination to live, work and play.”
Near West Side Partners, Inc. (NWSP) is a non-profit organization with a mission to revitalize and sustain the Near West Side of Milwaukee as a thriving business and residential area. It was founded through the support of business and civic leaders, including the organization’s five anchor institutions – Advocate Aurora Health, Harley-Davidson, Marquette University, MolsonCoors and Potawatomi Business Development Corp.