Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Telesa “Lisa” Bleakley was announced as the City’s new Downtown Development Manager on June 12. In her role, she will work out of the City Manager’s Office to lead efforts aimed at revitalizing Downtown Suffolk.

“I’m super glad to be in Suffolk, and really happy to be working on downtown development,” she said. “I love downtown areas. I just love them for what they offer, with the sense of community.”

Originally from Martinsville, Virginia, Bleakley witnessed the town’s downtown area become overrun with big businesses. She’s excited to play a role in preventing that from happening in Suffolk. 

Aligning with the City Council’s Downtown Master Plan, she will oversee economic development and marketing initiatives aimed at attracting and retaining businesses, encouraging redevelopment, and continuing to work with neighborhood improvement efforts.

Another big part of the position will be to work with City departments and community stakeholders, something Bleakley said she’s looking forward to. 

“I’m a big people person, so I really like the idea of forging relationships,” she said. “I will live and die by that, really, in this position.”

Bleakley has a strong background in tourism, event management, and business development from her previous roles with Virginia Beach’s Convention and Visitors Bureau. She also helped launch Montgomery County’s first regional tourism program in partnership with Blacksburg and Christiansburg.

She later became Virginia Beach’s Resort Administrator, which she said is very similar to what she’ll be doing as Downtown Development Manager. She highlighted an ambassador program the Oceanfront used to have, and she’s inspired to potentially bring a similar program to Downtown Suffolk.

The program provided people to help keep the beach clean, empty trash cans, assist with landscaping, and other similar jobs. They also acted as points of contact for tourists who had questions about the area, and they worked as safety escorts for businesses that stayed open late.

While you can’t always replicate something from one area in another, Bleakley said she will be on the lookout for efforts in other areas that could also work in Suffolk.  

The potential of downtown Suffolk was what drew Bleakley from Virginia Beach.

“There’s such an energy and authenticity that was really appealing to me,” she said.

While she does have some ideas for the downtown area, Bleakley said she wants to evaluate things as they currently are and ask the community what they would like to see.

“I really want to hear what the community wants and the direction it’s going,” she said. “And then, you know, how can I maybe positively affect any of that.”

When it comes to downtown safety, Bleakley said it’s important that perceptions don’t turn into realities. To help with that, she wants to focus on taking care of the grass and weeds, picking up trash, and redoing any painting that needs to be done.

Bleakley and her husband often camp in Suffolk and are very familiar with the downtown area already.  

She said she loves the new Downtown Festival Park and enjoys seeing how some of the historical buildings have been repurposed. She’s also looking forward to helping progress the downtown arts district.