Executive Director
As Executive Director of the Downtown Development District, Davis Rhorer is responsible for carrying out the mission of the DDD to initiate, incubate and support partnerships that develop and enhance Downtown Baton Rouge.
In this capacity, Rhorer has worked closely with the DDD Board of Directors, private sector partners and local government to revitalize Louisiana’s Capitol City, helping to attract more than $2.4 billion in investments over the last 20 years.
Since the DDD was established in 1987, Rhorer has served as a prominent leader in the development of various plans and initiatives that have transformed the Downtown area, including: the Baton Rouge 2000 Plan, Baton Rouge 2000 Update, the Riverfront Development Plan, the Fourth Street Master Plan, the Capitol Park Master Plan, the New River District Master Plan, the Downtown Visitors’ Amenity Plan and the city’s comprehensive Master Plan for development, Plan Baton Rouge. He is also currently engaged in Phase II of Plan Baton Rouge.
Throughout his tenure, Rhorer has played a key role in various riverfront development projects including: the historic restoration and reopening of the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center, the $30 million expansion of the Baton Rouge River Center, the addition of a planetarium and space theatre to the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum (LASM), the establishment of the Shaw Center for the Arts, and the development, funding and implementation of the biking and walking trail on the levee which connects Downtown to Louisiana State University. He was also instrumental in managing and overseeing the massive consolidation of state office buildings, which has brought more than 3,000 state workers to the Downtown area and resulted in the creation of more than 2 million square feet of new class “A” office buildings.
By establishing the DDD’s Restoration Renaissance program and supporting the development of single and multi-family units, Rhorer has helped to stabilize two of Baton Rouge’s oldest and most historic neighborhoods and brought thousands of new residents Downtown.
With the goal of transforming Baton Rouge into a 24-hour city where people come from all over the world to live, work and play, Rhorer has also aggressively worked to strengthen and enhance Downtown’s infrastructure and position the area as the regional growth center of East Baton Rouge Parish.
In addition to its role as an incubator for economic development, the Downtown Development District also functions as a community service organization, which supports special programming and planning for major Downtown events.
In this capacity, Rhorer serves as an Executive Board Member of the Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance (BREADA), the organization that directs the Farmer’s Market and the Main Street Market. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge, the East Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council’s Historic Preservation Commission, the Capitol House Taxing District, Hotel King Taxing District, the Mayor-President’s Smart Growth Task Force, the International Downtown Association and the American Planning Association.
He is a 1989 graduate of the Greater Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Class, and a past board member of the American Red Cross and the Playmakers of Baton Rouge. In recent years, he has also served on the Plan Baton Rouge Steering Committee and Mayor-President Melvin “Kip” Holden’s Transition Team, providing input on quality of life and economic development issues.
A native of Baton Rouge, Rhorer has always focused his work on improving the community. Prior to leading the DDD, he worked as an urban planner for the Baton Rouge Planning Commission and the City Parish Office of Community and Economic Development.
He is a graduate of Catholic High School, and he received his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Louisiana State University in 1979. He continued his education with postgraduate work in Florence, Italy.
Throughout his career, Rhorer has received numerous community and professional awards. In 1994, he was recognized as one of the Baton Rouge Business Report’s “Top Forty Under Forty.” Two years later he was selected as a Community Hero and had the honor of participating in the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay prior to the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, GA. That same year, he received the Individual Excellence Award from the Baton Rouge Growth Coalition.
Rhorer was also honored as Sacred Heart Elementary School’s Distinguished Graduate in 1998 and as the Sales and Marketing Executive’s (SME) Marketer of the Year in 2000.
In 2004, he was recognized by Governor Kathleen Blanco, the Louisiana House of Representatives and Senate, Mayor Holden and the Metropolitan Council of East Baton Rouge Parish for his work to improve the quality of life for all citizens. In 2005, he also received the prestigious Quality of Life Award from the Baton Rouge Growth Coalition. Under his leadership, the Downtown Development District was awarded two of the highest honors given by the International Downtown Association - The 2008 Outstanding Achievement Award, for the Downtown Baton Rouge Wayfinding Signage Project, and The 2009 Award of Distinction in Downtown Leadership and Management. Mr. Rhorer was presented the 2010 Patron of Landscape Architecture Award by The Louisiana Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. He recently presented a paper at the 2010 World Congress of Downtown and Town Centres in London England. This summer he was also honored by the Foundation for Historic Louisiana for his preservation work in downtown Baton Rouge and this fall he will receive the Patron of Architecture award by the Louisiana Architecture Foundation.
He and his wife, Julie, have a son, Davis Stribling Rhorer, Jr., who is a senior at the University of Notre Dame.
Assistant Executive Director
As the Downtown Development District’s Assistant Executive Director, Jake Holinga works with the DDD’s public and private partners to bring new capital and investments to the area. Leveraging his expertise in finance, Holinga is researching alternative incentives that will help to lure more businesses Downtown and finding new ways to support the DDD’s goal of transforming Baton Rouge into a 24-hour city where people come from all over the world to live, work and play.
Prior to joining the DDD, Holinga served as Director of Donor Services for the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. In that capacity, he was responsible for developing and implementing strategies to encourage giving and support the Foundation’s personal approach to philanthropy. During Holinga’s tenure from 2007 to 2009, the Foundation raised more than $50 million.
While earning a master’s degree in business administration from the B.I. Moody III School of Business at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Holinga also worked as an MBA Intern with Shaw Capital, an asset development division of The Shaw Group, Inc. Working with a team of professional analysts, Holinga conducted due diligence and performed other financial services for a $250 million renewable energy company that was scheduled to make its Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 2006 on London’s Alternative Investment Market. Prior to this, he served as a Joint Field Liaison, working closely with state and federal representatives on behalf of The Shaw Group to support the recovery and reconstruction of New Orleans in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Early in his career, Holinga served as a Financial Advisor for one of the world's largest diversified financial services companies, Morgan Stanley. In this capacity, he performed financial modeling and risk tolerance assessments and advised high net-worth clients on short and long-term investment strategies.
Holinga holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Louisiana State University, and is an alumna of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
A longtime resident of Baton Rouge, Holinga enjoys golf, fishing and LSU sports. He and his wife, Lexi, have a 3 month old daughter. They are members of the First United Methodist Church in Downtown Baton Rouge.
Jake is currently working to secure funding for several downtown projects such as- the Downtown Gateways Enhancement Project, North Boulevard Town Square, new street lights for the Arts & Entertainment District, extension of the Levee-top bike/pedestrian path and Transportation Improvements along River Road.
James Andermann
Development Project Director
As Development Project Director Andermann brings many years of successful Landscape Architecture experience and an extensive background in community outreach and project management to the DDD. Since joining the DDD’s leadership team in 2008, Andermann has played a key role in the development and implementation of strategic plans for various initiatives, including Downtown Baton Rouge’s award-winning wayfinding signage program, and serves at the project manager for the North Boulevard Town Square. Prior to this, he worked as a professional planner with the Moore Planning Group, a private Louisiana firm, where he was actively involved in the development of the Master Plan to revitalize Downtown Lake Charles.
While earning a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Louisiana State University (LSU), Andermann also served two years as a student intern for the DDD.
Andermann is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the International Downtown Association. Skilled in digital arts, Andermann manages the DDD website, DDD emails and the new interactive parking map.
Throughout his career, Andermann has received numerous accolades. Through a competitive process, he was selected to attend a three-week course traveling to various metropolitan cities with developing downtown districts to study city planning and economic development. He is active on the board of Keep Baton Rouge Beautiful.
A Baton Rouge native, Andermann enjoys traveling, playing golf and tennis, biking, adventure racing, watching LSU sports and spending time with his family. He and his wife, Lauren, have a daughter, Reese. They are members of Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church of Baton Rouge.
Events & Marketing Coordinator
As the Events & Marketing Coordinator for the Downtown Development District, Gabriel Vicknair serves as a liaison between the DDD, the Arts & Entertainment District and the general public, with a primary focus of being a point of contact and resource of information to individuals and organizations that wish to produce a special events downtown. He is responsible for marketing downtown activities and initiatives, as well as, maintaining/cultivating relationships with community stakeholders.
While earning a degree in Landscape Architecture from Louisiana State University (LSU), Vicknair served as Student Intern for the DDD and participated in a semester long internship with Civitas Urban Design and Planning in Denver, Colorado where he studied the redevelopment of the South Platte River corridor and worked on various large scale projects such as the San Diego Embarcadero and the San Jose International Airport. In addition, Vicknair holds over six years professional experience in landscape construction and maintenance.
Applying his skills at graphic design, Vicknair designed and produced an Event Procedures and Guidelines manual for the downtown area that serves as a guide for anyone interested in facilitating an event or starting a new business downtown.
Vicknair, an Ascension Parish native, is an avid whitewater kayaker and musician in his spare time.
Mary Olinde
Administrative Specialist II
As Administrative Specialist II for the Downtown Development District, Mary Olinde has performed administrative and office support activities for the Executive Director and Assistant Executive Director of the DDD since 1987, helping to ensure that the DDD office operates efficiently while presenting a positive and helpful public image.
Mrs. Olinde’s assistance includes but is certainly not limited to the transcription of DDD Commission Meeting minutes, scheduling, payment processing, and assisting the general public. She has been consistently recognized throughout the years by the City of Baton Rouge as an employee of excellence.
Mrs. Olinde, a Baton Rouge native, is married to Mr. Randy Olinde and they have two sons and one granddaughter.
