City revamps organizational structure to bolster cultural and economic development

City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde announced today that the city is implementing a significant restructure of the organization to advance a key priority identified by City Council and the Citywide Strategic Plan: cultural and economic development in Boulder.

Effective January 2026, the City Manager's Office will host a new division called Cultural and Economic Development. This new team will incubate under the leadership of Assistant City Manager Mark Woulf with the expectation that it will eventually become a standalone department, overseen by a director.

Most of the staff will come from the current Community Vitality (CV) Department, which will cease to exist in its current form. CV functions that align with responsibilities that overlap with other areas of city operations will be relocated to these other departments.

"This reorganization is about strengthening Boulder's position as a hub for innovation and culture through a more integrated model that has been successful in peer cities," Rivera-Vandermyde said. "It represents a big change - and the kind of boldness necessary to better align much-needed expertise and talent to our new Economic Development Strategy, unveiled earlier this year."

The new office will have three distinct focus areas:

• Arts & Culture: The inclusion of this function under the larger umbrella of economic development recognizes the important role our creative community plays in our local economy and vibrancy. In addition to supporting the growth of Boulder's cultural landscape, this area will continue to manage the city's Cultural Grants Program and the Public Art Program, implementing the city's Arts Blueprint.
• Business Support: This area will serve as the primary point of contact for the business community, providing direct support to help businesses start, grow, and thrive. This includes managing the Boulder Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
• Economic Development: This area will focus on strategic, long-term initiatives that shape the city's economic landscape. These include redevelopment opportunities, continued support and management of special districts, as well as ongoing visioning and drafting work related to a potential new Downtown District Authority (DDA).

Most of the staff team that supports CV will be reassigned to new roles - some in the new team and others in departments that will be absorbing functions that require their specialized knowledge. Six positions will be eliminated; city leadership is committed to working with these employees in hopes of filling vacancies that match their skills sets and interests in other departments.
As part of this reorganization, the city is also looking ahead to needs associated with the Sundance Film Festival, which will move to Boulder starting in 2027.

Cris Jones, who currently oversees CV, has accepted an offer to step into a new leadership role as the city's director of strategic partnerships. While the scope of this position will evolve over time, Jones' most immediate focus will be coordinating cross-departmental efforts related to Festival preparations. He will report to Rivera-Vandermyde and will also manage special events.

"Cris is an ideal choice for this critical position," the city manager said. "He has deep ties throughout our community, and especially with our arts and business partners. The selection of Boulder to host the Sundance Film Festival starting in 2027 represents a tremendous opportunity, and it will require innovative leadership and thoughtful coordination locally, across our state and region and with the Sundance Institute. Cris has been a core collaborator in our bid vision, and I am confident he will lead us well in this new role."

The changes will take place gradually between now and the end of December, but community members can expect to see increased communication about cultural and economic initiatives in a recently launched e-newsletter, the Business Bulletin. Interested individuals are invited to subscribe to this news source.