Betsy A. Pandora is the Executive Director of the Short North Alliance. Betsy oversees a $1.7 million dollar operating budget, a team of 12, all district operations, safety initiatives, parking and mobility programs, artistic and community event management, public art program planning and management, strategic marketing, fundraising, and board relations for both the Short North Alliance and Short North Special Improvement District, two neighborhood serving organizations in Columbus, Ohio. Under Betsy’s leadership, the Short North Arts District has seen over $40 million dollars in public infrastructure investments, attracted over $500 million dollars in private development investment, and has earned numerous national accolades as a top destination, including the American Planning Association’s Great Places Award in 2019. During her tenure with the Short North Alliance, Betsy has: grown the organizations’ operating budget; initiated numerous public art installations including such legacy projects as The Journey, featuring the city’s tallest murals and the world’s largest augmented reality mural and The Makers Monument, the single largest public art commission by the City of Columbus, debuting in 2020; championed innovative parking and mobility solutions that have not only created more parking options than ever before in the Short North Arts District, but provide fair options for district workers; and supported the success and livelihoods of over 400, predominantly small business owners who employ 10,000 workers and serve 4 million annual visitors.

Prior to joining the Short North Alliance, Betsy was the community relations coordinator for Columbus Public Health’s Healthy Places Program which linked creative placemaking strategies with health outcomes. Under her leadership, the program won the 2011 Columbus Business First Health Care Hero Award for Community Outreach and the 2012 National Association of County and City Health Officials Model Practice Award.

Betsy has over 17 years of experience working in the creative sector and has held education, marketing, outreach, and strategic planning positions with many of Columbus’ leading arts and cultural nonprofits, most notably the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts and the Wexner Center for the Arts. Betsy has also worked abroad at the internationally acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe Festival where she was responsible for managing and promoting a multidisciplinary arts venue during the world’s largest international theatre festival.

Betsy is a sought after public speaker and educator on the topics of destination marketing and creative placemaking, and has held academic appointments at both The Ohio State University and the New Hampshire Institute of the Arts at New England College.

Betsy proudly serves on the boards of the Short North Foundation, the YMCA of Central Ohio Northside Branch, and the Friends of WOSU.
Betsy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a minor in Marketing and a Masters of City and Regional Planning, both from The Ohio State University. She is also a 2015 graduate of Leadership Columbus, a 2018 Columbus Business First 40 Under 40 Honoree, a 2019 graduate of the Young American Leaders Program at the Harvard Business School, and a 2019 recipient of the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s Emerging Arts Leader Award.

Betsy lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband Ryan and their wiener dog Otis Redding.