Greg Davies, CEO
Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer for the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation and Capitol South, Greg Davies served as Vice President of Planning and Development for The Columbus Partnership. In this role, he was the point person for the business community on several critical issues, including affordable housing, while serving as the liaison with the City of Columbus for key projects like The Peninsula and Ohio State University’s Innovation District.
Greg Davies has more than 20 years of experience working for the City of Columbus, where he served as Chief of Staff for Mayor Andrew Ginther and held multiple roles for Mayor Michael Coleman, including Director of the Public Utilities Department, Deputy Director of the Development Department and Deputy Chief of Staff. In his time at the City, Greg demonstrated strength in project management and organizational leadership, resulting in operating savings and direct programming to Columbus residents and customers. His experience has resulted in an extensive network of relationships with senior executives, elected officials, community leaders, and the non-profit and academic communities throughout the Columbus region.
As Chief of Staff, Greg built Mayor Ginther’s first cabinet and staff after he was elected in 2015. Greg was instrumental in the City’s successful bid to be America’s Smart City and, in tandem with the Columbus Partnership, helped create Smart Columbus. Greg also served as point person for numerous projects, including the ongoing redevelopment of The Peninsula, the Save the Crew effort and the development of the new downtown Hilton expansion. As Director of Public Utilities, Greg was responsible for providing water and sewer services to 1.1 million people in Central Ohio. The Department has over 1,200 employees and an annual budget in excess of $600 million. In his role at the Development Department, Greg oversaw the City’s housing program and created Home Again, a $25-million program designed to rehabilitate vacant and abandoned properties across the City. The program was the initial investment for the ongoing redevelopment of Franklinton.
Greg lives in Upper Arlington with his wife Lis and has two children, Steph and Anna; and three stepchildren, Ellie, Maddie, and Lottie.