The Iowa City Area Business Partnership and Iowa City Area Development are set to merge this summer on July 1, and the new entity has announced Nancy Bird will be its CEO and president.

The news comes from a press release Thursday announcing the appointment.

The boards for the two organizations previously voted in November 2022 to merge on July 1, with a webpage for the merger explaining that the groups already overlapped in the groups they served.  It also states that combining will allow the new organization to better support the businesses being served.

Bird has worked as the executive director of the Iowa City Downtown District for the past 10 years. According to the release, Bird is a certified planner and drove change and revitalization in the downtown district.

Quoted in the release is Robin Therme, the former Iowa City Area Development chair and the new chair for the merged entity. Therme said she was excited to have Bird working with the new organization in a leadership role.

“Her broad experience in community development and her track record of executing a clear vision make her ideally equipped to meet the needs of this new organization,” Therme said. “We look forward to working with Nancy and the team as we seek to advance our combined mission within this new structure.”

Also quoted in the release is Adam Keune, the former chair of the Business Partnership Board. Like Therme, Keune spoke about his excitement about having Bird lead the new organization.

“As we embark on this exciting new chapter as a combined organization, we have every confidence in her ability to steer us toward growth and heightened impact, furthering our reach and amplifying the positive difference we make in the Johnson County community,” Keune said.