During more than eight years of service to the residents of the District of Columbia,
John McGaw, Special Assistant to the Executive Office of the Mayor, has consistently applied his knowledge, talents and interpersonal skills to improving the economic health of ordinary citizens.

He started his career with the District serving as Staff Director and Clerk to the Committee on Economic Development for the DC City Council. While there McGaw successfully helped steer through major banking reforms, tourism and marketing programs,telecommunications legislation and economic development initiatives,
namely the creation of the National Capital Revitalization Corporation.

His commitment to the economic health of the District may be best exemplified by his work on the highly successful reSTORE DC program and its signature program DC Main Streets. McGaw adapted the National Trust for Historic Preservation's small town model, Main Street, re-casting it for the demands and realities of a large international city. McGaw brought together a coalition of District tourism and real estate professionals, non-profit organizations, and government agencies that brought this vision to life. Leading a multisector team, McGaw transformed this small town concept into a successful big city reality.

From Anacostia to Adams Morgan, from Brookland to Dupont Circle, from Shaw to Barrack’s Row and Georgia Avenue, there are currently 12 neighborhood business districts participating in the DC Main Streets program. Now a vibrant and popular program, DC Main Streets has become a vehicle through which residents help address the physical and economic deterioration that plagued the commercial strips in their neighborhoods.

Responding to the challenge of how to provide more neighborhood-based retail stores and cultural amenities McGaw explains, “By assisting with business retention, expansion and attraction, in that order of priority, neighborhood leaders are engaged in determining the future of their city.” All aspects of organization, design, promotion and economic restructuring of each business district are the focus of volunteer driven committees that utilize the technical assistance and training provided by the reSTORE DC staff. reSTORE DC and DC Main Streets has truly become a vision of neighborhood-based collaboration that promotes the common interests of property owners, residents, retailers, consumers and investors. When asked to reflect on his professional accomplishments McGaw simply states, “For many citizens this engagement is a ‘first time experience,’ and one in which they are learning new skills, meeting new friends and neighbors, and making a huge difference in the future of their neighborhoods. In keeping with Mayor Williams’ challenge to work together for the benefit of many, I am helping to develop local capacity to rely less on government and more on the ingenuity of the private marketplace, with the result that we have a healthier, more responsive and responsible government.”

A native of Nashville, Tennessee, he has a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and has been a resident of the District of Columbia for the past thirteen years.