Press release...

Mayor Madeline Rogero today named Dawn Michelle Foster as Deputy Director of Redevelopment for the City of Knoxville. Foster, a transportation planner and Certified Environmental Professional, will be team leader for redevelopment of the South Waterfront, the Magnolia Warehouse District, and other projects.

"Dawn’s expertise in project management and her commitment to public process will make sure we continue to move forward on key redevelopment projects," Mayor Rogero said. "She brings extensive private-sector experience in local and regional development."

Foster has worked since 1988 for Wilbur Smith Associates, the international transportation and infrastructure engineering firm. (Last year, Wilbur Smith Associates merged with Massachusetts-based Camp Dresser & McKee to form CDM Smith.)

She has been a senior transportation planner since 1995, and earned a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 1999.

Foster has worked on transportation planning and environmental assessments for projects including Knoxville’s Second Creek Greenway and new Transit Center, and ongoing improvements to Washington Pike and I-275 business park access.

"I am excited to join Mayor Rogero and her strong redevelopment team," Foster said, "to revitalize the City from the center outward."

Foster, a 1985 graduate of Western Kentucky University, is a member of the American Planning Association, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and the US Green Building Council. She is also involved with Town Hall East and the East City Redevelopment Committee, and has been a member of the Knoxville Board of Zoning Appeals.