Downtown Tulsa Partnership Announces Leadership Transition
Downtown Tulsa, OK - Downtown Tulsa Partnership announced today that President and CEO Brian Kurtz will leave the organization at the end of December 2025 to pursue a new professional opportunity. He’s served Tulsa for seven and a half years overseeing management of Downtown’s improvement district and related services and activities, including the last four and a half leading Downtown Tulsa Partnership (DTP).
Kurtz is the organization’s founding chief executive. He previously served as Executive Director of the City of Tulsa’s Downtown Coordinating Council and as a senior team member in the Mayor’s Office from 2018 until DTP’s formation in 2021.
“The opportunity to support and lead our community in forming Downtown Tulsa Partnership and its visionary planning endeavors, delivering critical programs and services, and advocating for Downtown Tulsa’s future will forever be a highlight and milestone in my life and career,” said Kurtz “I am eternally grateful to the past and present members of the board and countless talented individuals who have been part of this work over the last seven and a half years. I am equally appreciative of the way Tulsa has accepted and supported our family during this time. I will leave my role at the end of the year with a sense of pride and accomplishment for what has been undertaken and optimism for the future.”
DTP’s Board of Directors, with support of the organization’s professional staff, is committed to ensuring the continuity of its programs, projects, and services. The board will initiate an executive transition plan, including a local and national search, to identify the next leader who will build on DTP’s early successes and guide the organization and Downtown into its next chapter.
Since incorporating DTP and launching its Clean & Safe services on July 1, 2021, Kurtz has led the organization through startup operations, program expansion, and a growing portfolio of public-private partnerships reinvesting in Downtown Tulsa.
During the COVID pandemic, Kurtz worked closely with Tulsa County Commissioners to deploy nearly $750,000 in CARES Act funding to support Downtown’s small businesses in adding outdoor dining that remains in place today.
Kurtz also championed the public-private partnership to reimagine the Center of the Universe, which is slated to commence its final phase of construction in the coming months after recently achieving its major fundraising goals.
Under his leadership, DTP has received four Awards of Excellence from the International Downtown Association, recognizing the organization’s innovative and community-driven programs and services.
Kurtz’s community service includes board leadership for Housing Solutions Tulsa since its inception in 2020, as well as appointments to the Tulsa Community College Foundation Board of Trustees and Tulsa Regional Tourism Advisory Board in recent years. In 2023, he was named an Achiever Under 40 by The Oklahoma Journal Record.
“On behalf of DTP’s Board of Directors, we wish Brian the very best and we thank him for his service to Downtown Tulsa Partnership and also the Tulsa community,” said DTP Board Chair John Gaberino. “Brian implemented a community vision to establish a stand-alone downtown management organization, and it was his leadership that doubled the operating budget and grew to a staff of seven. He has proven our organization’s value as a staunch advocate for policies and investments that support Downtown, including critical public safety resources. Our board will begin a thorough search for our next CEO who will be charged with continuing this good work well into the future.”
Additional information regarding interim leadership and the executive search process will be announced at a later date.
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About Downtown Tulsa Partnership
Downtown Tulsa Partnership is the nonprofit management organization representing the interests of property owners and businesses in Downtown Tulsa. With a mission to champion a prosperous, vibrant and inclusive Downtown, DTP provides enhanced maintenance, beautification and livability services; mobility and public realm planning; and marketing and place enhancement initiatives — all to benefit Downtown businesses, residents, workers and visitors. DTP is an award-winning member of the International Downtown Association, the premier organization for urban place professionals who are shaping and activating dynamic city center districts. For more information about Downtown Tulsa Partnership, visit DowntownTulsa.com.