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.
