By Jason Islas
Lookout Staff

August 23, 2011 – Sharon Myer, Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.’s newest board member, doesn't shy away from challenges. While in Africa, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and she's climbed Mount Whitney, twice.

Myer hopes to bring that adventurous spirit and drive to a board that is helping steer some dramatic changes Downtown. “I have been a business owner, I have managed properties and I work now for a landlord, so I understand" the challenges, says Myer, the regional property manager for Federal Realty Investment Trust. Myer says she hopes to “add to that wealth of experience that is already on the board” and is eager to “help to promote a vibrant downtown area where visitors and locals enjoy their experience” by building for the future without losing sight of the past.

New Downtown Santa Monica Inc. Board Member Sharon Myer.

With City Parking Structure 6 on Second Street slated for demolition and rebuilding early next year, “we have to be focused on maintaining and accommodating parking” during construction, Myer says.

Myer's professional relationship with Santa Monica started in 2006, when she assumed her post with Federal Realty and began coming into town several times a month to make sure everything was running smoothly.

“We want our tenants to be happy and successful,” says Myer, who splits her time between Santa Monica, Downtown Pasadena and San Diego, where she manages properties.

Her local tenants include some of downtown Santa Monica's staple businesses, including the California Pizza Kitchen on Wilshire Boulevard and Express on Third Street Promenade.

Originally from Northern California, Myer now lives in Carlsbad and works out of Escondido. She’s an avid adventurer who enjoys “eco-travel” and once spent the Winter Solstice in the ancient mountain city of Machu Picchu.

“Seeing that all around you brings tears to your eyes,” she says. “I like to get off the beaten path.”