Our Leadership

Steve Dieterichs was named executive director of the newly established Downtown Abilene Initiative in January, 2018. He has spent the last decade engaged in tourism and economic development practices and now finds himself squarely at the intersection of those two disciplines.

Steve came to Abilene from Granbury, Texas, where he ran the Convention & Visitors Bureau and later worked as a consultant and a site selector for an adaptive reuse developer of historic properties. Prior to this, he held tourism and downtown development positions in Corsicana, Texas.
Steve is a native of Olney, Texas and is a graduate of Texas A&M University where he received his undergraduate degree in Political Science. He also holds a Master of Arts in International Studies from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. He is designated a Certified Tourism Executive by the Texas Travel Industry Association, placing him at the vanguard of destination marketing practices, and he holds basic economic development certification from the Texas Economic Development Council.

Steve is also an accomplished freelance writer, Spanish language instructor and medical marketing representative. He previously worked for the United States Department of State within the United Nations in New York, a role he held for four years.

Steve also holds a Texas Real Estate Sales License.

Steve and his wife Gina have one daughter, Claire, who is seven years old.