After Nearly 20 Years, Dan Klocke Leaves Downtown Phoenix Partnership

After nearly 20 years of helping Downtown Phoenix grow into a vibrant, walkable and connected neighborhood, Dan Klocke has stepped down as executive director of the Downtown Phoenix Partnership (DPP).

“When I started 17 years ago, this was a very different place,” Klocke said in a written statement. “Our little downtown has become something special — a neighborhood where all people can find something fun and interesting, and most importantly, feel welcome.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in history and government from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree in law and diplomacy from Tufts University, Klocke served as executive director of the Charles Village Community Benefits District in Baltimore. This began a life-long passion for working in downtowns.

In 2003, DPP hired Klocke to oversee the Downtown Phoenix Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit affiliate that focuses on affordable housing and community-based projects, including helping build the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market.

Klocke and his family settled in the FQ Story historic neighborhood, and he quickly developed many relationships at the City of Phoenix and inside the Valley’s development community.

Soon Klocke was named DPP’s vice president of economic development. He also continued to give his time and passion to a variety of city-building groups, including the Garfield Organization and City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission, where he currently serves as chair.

During Klocke’s tenure as executive director of DPP, the organization’s Clean and Green Team has, true to its name, kept Downtown Phoenix impeccably clean and increasingly green, planting more than 500 new shade trees and delivering several landscaping projects that have reimagined pedestrian corridors. Klocke has also championed urbanism, placemaking and sustainable density.

“We have come a long way and have further to go,” Klocke said. “Enjoy the journey.”