2009 BUGC Board of Trustees
1st Vice Chair
Debbie Berry
Vice President, Planning and Development
University Circle Incorporated
Debbie Berry currently serves as Vice President of Planning and Real Estate Development for University Circle Inc. (UCI). Her responsibilities include managing physical development projects on all UCI owned lands, coordinating development and expansion opportunities being lead by UCI’s 40+ member institutions, and overseeing needed infrastructure and neighborhood improvements to insure that the Circle neighborhood becomes a premier urban district.
In her short time at UCI, Debbie has directed the effort to transform UCI into an active development corporation that is driving a neighborhood renaissance in University Circle. In her role, she is leading multi-million dollar investments at key locations throughout the district, which include UCI's Bring Back Euclid Avenue Campaign and four strategic investments projects that will change the face of University Circle with new housing, a new Main Street Euclid Avenue, new businesses, and new wayfinding and streetscape amenities.
Prior to joining UCI, Debbie served as the Lakefront Plan Manager for the city of Cleveland and managed the historic Waterfront District Plan, a comprehensive redevelopment plan for more than eight-miles of Cleveland’s shoreline, including the $50 million reconfiguration of the West Shoreway (State Route 2), which will allow better access and development opportunities along the city’s waterfront. In her position at City Planning, Debbie also served as the lead in coordinating the Innerbelt planning process with the Ohio Department of Transportation and multiple neighborhood stakeholder groups.
Debbie holds a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University and a Masters Degree in Transportation Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio. She serves as a Board member for the non-profit organizations of ParkWorks, the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center, and as interim chairperson of the northeast Ohio infrastructure organization Build Up Greater Cleveland (BUGC). In 2007, Debbie was named as one of Crain’s Cleveland Business top “Forty under 40” and she is a graduate of the 2008 class of Leadership Cleveland. She is also an active member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, American Planning Association, and Commercial Real Estate Women Inc. In her spare time, Debbie and her husband Patrick enjoy travel and golfing.