Modesto names community, economic development director

Modesto has hired an official from an upscale Florida city to run its Community and Economic Development Department.

Cindy Birdsill, who served as Coral Gables economic and cultural development director for nearly six years, is expected to start her new job Sept. 15. She will be paid $161,000 annually. Modesto picked Birdsill after conducting a national search that generated 36 applicants, according to a city news release.

Before going to work for Coral Gables, Birdsill worked as a real estate attorney for about 20 years. Her law degree is from the University of Connecticut School of Law. and she has a bachelor’s degree in dramatic and studio art from the University of North Carolina and a master’s degree in painting from Towson University in Maryland.

Birdsill, 48, said while her background is not that of a typical community and economic development director, the department has strong planners and she will focus on such issues as economic development, downtown and building on Modesto’s reputation as a cultural center – exemplified by such institutions as the Gallo Center for the Arts and its resident companies, including Central West Ballet and Townsend Opera.

“My husband and I wanted to move to the West Coast,” she said. “I’m very excited about the community. I think there is a lot of opportunity, and the people have been very welcoming, and it feels like home.”

According to her LinkedIn profile, Birdsill’s accomplishments in Coral Gables include administering the Art in Public Places program; initiating a $20 million streetscape project funded by a special assessment, which included more than $1 million in public art; the purchase and build-out of a senior center; a new trolley maintenance facility; and obtaining a National Endowment for the Arts grant for a traffic circle art project.

“In filling this position, the city was looking for someone to build a stronger, more economically viable city through partnerships, sustainable growth and economic development analytics,” Modesto officials said in the news release.

Coral Gables is an affluent city of about 50,000 residents near Miami. It is home of the University of Miami and, according to information on the Chamber of Commerce website, was built on a Mediterranean Revival architectural style and its development was influenced by the City Beautiful Movement of the early 1900s.

Birdsill replaces Brent Sinclair, who was named interim deputy city manager several months ago. The department has had acting directors since Sinclair’s promotion.

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Modesto names community, economic development director."