Bellevue Downtown Association welcomes new staff

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BDA Strengthens Team to Keep Pace with Booming Downtown Area

The Bellevue Downtown Association recently made three key hires and installed a new position to support the organization’s work on behalf of its members and the downtown area. 

Apryl Battin rejoins the BDA as Director of Marketing & Partnerships, after a brief stint as Partnership Director for CBS Radio in Seattle. She came to the BDA in early 2016, quickly and successfully growing the BDA’s sponsorship, sales and marketing relationships for its major community events, in addition to leading the association’s platforms for social and print media. Battin brings more than 20 years of experience to her work leading sponsor development and delivering value through market exposure and community visibility. Prior to the BDA, Battin held marketing and promotion roles with KIRO7, CBS Radio and Restaurants Unlimited. She earned a degree in Communications from Washington State University.

Augusta DeVries, BDA TransManage Director for the past four years, takes on the new role of Director of Membership & Community Development. The shift taps DeVries’ strength and regional experience in relationship-building, knowledge of the Bellevue/Eastside community, and successful track record of delivering programs for downtown businesses. Before joining the BDA in 2013, DeVries was a planner for the City of Golden, Colorado. She holds a master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado at Denver and a bachelor’s in Legal Studies from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She is also a member of the Leadership Eastside Class of 2018.

New hire Tim Kelley replaces DeVries as Transportation Program Director and leads the BDA’s TransManage team and transportation partnerships. Kelley joins the BDA from Arlington Transportation Partners in Arlington County, Virginia, where he was Operations and Marketing Manager with BikeArlington. His experience includes an eight-year track record in leading multi-modal mobility strategies. Kelley helped launch Capital Bikeshare in the D.C. area, today one of the country’s most popular bikeshare programs. Previously, Kelley served in marketing roles for two major regional shopping centers and was an English teacher for the Bureau of Education in Schenzhen, China. He holds a History degree from Davidson College. 

Further bolstering the BDA’s team is Rebecca Comegys, Member Services & Office Manager. Comegys draws on her background in client services and a strong administrative skill set for member outreach and engagement and overall team operations. Most recently, she was a manager for a counseling and treatment clinic in Seattle. Fluent in French, she has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration: Marketing from Fresno State University, and a Certificate in International Management from École Supérieure de Commerce Et de Management in Poitiers, France.

“We have an amazingly talented team,” said Patrick Bannon, BDA president. “I’m proud of our work together and even more excited about our potential to strengthen our value proposition for members and the entire downtown community.”  

Established in 1974, the Bellevue Downtown Association is the convening, member-powered organization for downtown leadership, events and advocacy. The BDA serves its 260+ members with place-based strategies and programming to strengthen the economic and creative vitality of Bellevue’s city core.