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 $1.7 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, 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 the highest honor given by the International Downtown Association - The 2008 Outstanding Achievement Award, for the Downtown Baton Rouge Wayfinding Signage Project.
He and his wife, Julie, have an nineteen-year-old son, Davis Stribling Rhorer, Jr., who is a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame.
Assistant Executive Director
Since becoming the new Assistant Executive Director in September 2008, Goodson has been actively engaged in a variety of projects aimed at transforming Downtown Baton Rouge into a thriving 24-hour city. He will work closely with the Downtown Business Association and the new Arts & Entertainment District to generate new investment and interest in the Downtown area. He will also play a key role in supporting the Riverfront Development Project, planning for Phase II of Plan Baton Rouge, and ongoing implementation of the Downtown Visitor’s Amenity Plan.
Goodson was formerly a Community Planner for the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX). In that capacity, he oversaw the implementation of the Strategic Plan to revitalize Old South Baton Rouge. By working with community and grassroots organizations, coordinating public and private sector investments and developing new public policies, Goodson helped lay a solid foundation for this community’s resurgence.
Goodson also serves as a lead consultant to the newly formed East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority and will continue working in that capacity until the Authority’s staff is in place.
Prior to joining CPEX, Goodson served as the Coordinator for Sponsored Programs at Louisiana State University’s (LSU) College of Education. He holds a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture and a master’s degree in public administration from LSU.
Goodson is actively involved in the Baton Rouge community and serves on the Board of Directors for the Baton Rouge Gallery and the A.C. Lewis YMCA.
A long time resident of Baton Rouge, Goodson enjoys hunting, fishing, running, playing tennis, and cooking. He is also an avid LSU sports fan. He and his wife, Katie, have a son, Bradley. They are members of First United Methodist Church.
James AndermannDevelopment 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 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.
Early in his career, Andermann gained first-hand project management experience as an assistant landscape architect and installation crew manager at Plant Tech Nursery where he implemented plans and designs at residential and commercial sites.
While earning a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Louisiana State University (LSU), Andermann also served as a student intern for the DDD. He also successfully completed a year of course work that focused on forestry at Southeastern Louisiana University.
Andermann is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the International Downtown Association. Skilled in digital arts, he also owns and operates a graphic video company, Andermann Photography and Video.
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 was honored as a member of LSU’s Dean’s List in 2004 and elected Treasurer of the LSU Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2006. He also served as Co-Chair of the 2007 LABASH Convention, an annual, student-run international conference offering landscape architecture students from across North America the opportunity to share interests and ideas, network with industry professionals, and celebrate the profession.
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.
