Paradise Found? A conversation with Downtown Oklahoma City CEO Jennifer Nakayama

Jennifer Nakayama (photo courtesy AJ Stegall Photography)

The not-for-profit Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership (DOKC), which manages and markets the Downtown Business Improvement District and works with a variety of public-private partners, including the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, to ensure the greater downtown area continues to thrive, recently hired Jennifer Nakayama as its new president and CEO.

Nakayama, formerly the president and executive director of the Waikiki Business Improvement District on the island of Oahu, replaced long-time DOKC President and CEO Jane Jenkins who announced her plans to retire from the organization last December. VeloCity recently sat down with Nakayama where she discussed her new role with DOKC and why she made the decision to move to Oklahoma City.

VeloCityOKC: We are sure this is a question asked by many people: Why did you choose to leave paradise?

Jennifer Nakayama: That question does come up quite often. Both my husband and I were born and raised in southern California. We went over for my job in Hawai’i about 13 years ago, and so it was always the plan to go over there to live and work. And it truly was paradise. But right before the pandemic hit, we were blessed with our son. I will always love Hawai’i; it is the best place in the world to visit and vacation. We just wanted more of a breadth of experiential pieces for our son. We had no family there with us in Hawaii unfortunately, and so we set our sights on the mainland. When we were looking at different cities of where to land, the opportunity here in Oklahoma City came up. It checked all the boxes in that the community is really strong and wanting to reinvest in themselves, and not necessarily monetarily. You can tell the people in Oklahoma City have deep-rooted core values. It’s about bettering not only their lives, but their neighbors’ lives, and their community’s lives. To my husband and me, that's exactly the type of environment that we were hoping to raise our son in.

Now that you have been in OKC for about two months, is there something about Oklahoma City that has surprised you or didn't expect before you moved here?

Jennifer Nakayama: My family and I have found the environment in OKC to be exactly what we hoped for. And really more than that in many ways. There's just so much vibrancy and excitement here. The thing that I did not anticipate was how much recent turnover had occurred regarding major leadership within the downtown and business communities including long standing organizations like the Chamber, Community Foundation and others. That has been eye opening for me to know that there is this wave of leadership that is emerging with new perspectives and initiatives.

How did you prepare yourself for this culture and climate shock after spending 13 years in Hawaii?

Jennifer Nakayama: We visited Oklahoma City for the first time last November as part of the search process. Coincidentally, the night we landed was the first snow of the season. That was surprising for us, but a really welcomed piece. It sounds corny, but one of the things we did during our free time as part of that short weekend was to simply drive around the area. As we were driving along on one of the freeways, our son looked out the window – he is four years old – and started reciting colors. And it dawned on us that he had never seen autumn colors before in his life. Everything is either green or dead in Hawaii, no in-between. You can feel the authentic nature of people here in Oklahoma City and the desire to do more and to do better. It's just really inspiring to be part of something like that.

Would you please describe your role here at Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership?

Jennifer Nakayama: The President and CEO oversees the strategic mission of the Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership. My role is ultimately reporting to the DOKC Board of Directors to ensure that policies, procedures and financial structure are sound organizationally. DOKC also manages the Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) comprised of six unique districts in downtown. The Downtown BID provides services to address the gap between municipal and private property responsibilities. DOKC focuses on increasing the vitality and health of these districts through advocacy, marketing, events and activation. The Downtown BID also deploys the Green Team, the primary cleaning and safety crew that you see in literal green trucks going around downtown emptying garbage cans, picking up litter, removing graffiti and things like that. It's important to understand the BID operates in the public area providing supplemental services beyond what the City of Oklahoma City provides. DOKC is contracted as the sole service provider for the BID by the City of Oklahoma City. It is about keeping the public realm clean, safe, and welcoming for visitors and residents.

How is the Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership funded?

Jennifer Nakayama: The Downtown BID is funded by downtown property owners through a special assessment or tax. Downtown OKC Partnership, who manages the BID, is funded primarily through fundraising and corporate support. DOKC events such as Starlight Supper and Downtown in December allow the organization to exist to provide these supplemental yet vital services to downtown.

When you first learned about the MAPS initiative, what were your initial thoughts? And now that you have been here a couple of months and have learned even more details about MAPS and its history, what do you think about it now?

Jennifer Nakayama: My first blush was why can this magic not happen everywhere? It is astounding to me, not just the amount of financial investments that people have been willing to pay into, but also the continued investment through multiple generations of the program. So many cities try to replicate the overall MAPS program, and there might be some successes one time, but to have the longevity of already being on MAPS 4 is unbelievable.  It is an incredible tribute to show again the resiliency of the city and the people that live here who love it and want to do more.

From an outsider's perspective, do you feel like MAPS has been successful in creating a community that draws in new residents?

Jennifer Nakayama: Obviously, MAPS was a big feather in the cap of making the decision for Oklahoma City. The community’s investment, from residents, commercial businesses to the City of OKC, makes OKC a desirable place to live. It is a catalyst for people, like me, to take a second look at OKC. Combined with my family’s wish for a more well-rounded upbringing of culture and seasons (and food!) for our son, we’re thrilled to lay down roots here. Even our dog is happier than ever being able to chase squirrels, which don’t even exist in Hawaii.