Executive Director
Mone’t Roberts, Lorain County native, and Elyria resident has had the opportunity to travel to 12 different communities throughout the nation undergoing economic development strategic planning. Mone’t served on the board of the Elyria Community Partnership for a year before becoming the Inaugural Executive Director in February 2023.
After receiving her Bachelor’s in Promotional Communications and Master’s in Public Administration, her main goal upon graduation was to implement change in the communities she is surrounded by. Her expertise in business management, political arenas, public relations, event planning, and more has positioned her perfectly to serve Elyria. Mone’t also comes with a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion certificate and believes that change is only possible when there is a diverse perspective and ability to make things happen.
In the early term of her position, Mone’t has expanded the events hosted by the Elyria Community Partnership, grown the network and partners, and connected residents and visitors in an impactful way. Living downtown Elyria for over three years, Mrs. Roberts quickly saw the potential Elyria had from all the travel she was able to complete throughout the years. Mone’t believes Elyria has all the bones and structure to be a vibrant community.
Many communities shy away from planning processes. They are deemed to be expensive, time consuming, and lead to nothing but bookshelf decoration. This session will follow the four month process for Downtown Elyria’s Action Plan for Vibrancy and how they are turning meaningful engagement in to approximately $100,000 in projects in just six months. Monet Roberts of Elyria Community Partnership and Thomas Starinsky of Thomas Starinsky Planning + Design will share the planning process from kick-off to project implementation including: • Identifying the need to hire a consultant • Selecting an effective steering committee to work with the consultants to support and guide the process • Identifying the goals of the planning process • Identifying the stakeholders that need to be engaged • Developing a meaningful engagement strategy • Developing recommendations based on community conversations • Raising funds for successful early action projects • Prioritizing impactful projects that can happen in six months AND leverage subsequent projects While describing the entire planning process, Monet and Tom will focus in particular on the community engagement process and the difference it can make in developing project outcomes that are on target, ensuring community buy-in, and garnering project funding.