40 Under Forty: Lisa A. Drexhage, 36

Photo | Erika Sidor From the 40 Under Forty 20th anniversary (from left) 2013 alumni Amy Lynn Chase, 2019 winner Joshua Croke, 2006 alumni Jose Antonio Rivera, 2019 winner Dani Babineau and 2019 winner Lisa A. Drexhage at Allen Court Alley in Worcester

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Click here to read about the other 40 Under Forty winners from 2019 and featured alumni in our 20th anniversary edition
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Lisa A. Drexhage, 36

Project manager

Worcester Business Development Corp.

Residence: Princeton

Birthplace: Worcester

Colleges: Clark University & Connecticut College

Any talk about Worcester’s arts or startup culture is bound to include at least one thing Drexhage has had her hand in: the art gallery and community space Worcester PopUp, the annual mural festival POW! WOW! Worcester, or the co-working space Worcester Idea Lab. Drexhage has served as manager, co-director and manager of those three downtown projects, respectively, in addition to her 9-to-5 job since 2013 as project manager for WBDC, a nonprofit helping develop key sites in Greater Worcester for economic development. Her job today includes fundraising for a proposed $3-million black box theater envisioned for 20 Franklin St., which the WBDC owns. In that role, Drexhage had a hand in forming the new downtown Worcester Business Improvement District, which got underway this spring with plans for street-side aesthetic improvements, new marketing and events, and ambassadors to help visitors in a 78-acre swath of the neighborhood centered around Worcester Common. Drexhage co-directs POW! WOW! in its fourth year, a responsibility including fundraising and often obtaining a specific type of spray paint an artist may need last minute. She’s a member of the Princeton Historical Society and serves on the Princeton Facilities Planning Committee. – Profile written by Grant Welker

If could live anywhere for one month, where would it be? Lindau, Germany

Favorite Central Mass. restaurant? Bocado – the ideal place to share a meal with those you love.

Who is most responsible for your success? My mother is the backbone of my family, and I have learned so much from her, particularly her quiet perseverance and kindness.