photo by: Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo

Downtown Lawrence is pictured in this aerial photo from December 2017.

The executive director of Downtown Lawrence Inc. is stepping down after close to a decade of leading the nonprofit organization dedicated to the success of downtown.

Sally Zogry said she would leave the organization at the end of January, enabling her to remain in her position through the busy holiday season and to help with the transition of the new director. Zogry, who has been with DLI for 9.5 years, said that she was proud of her time with the organization and that her decision to step down was a personal one.

photo by: contributed

Sally Zogry

“I’m just at a different point in my life and my career and I really need to find a work-life balance, which is hard to do when it’s such a small organization and you’re representing and supporting businesses that are open pretty much 365 days per year,” Zogry said.

Zogry added that her daughter is a high school senior and her son is a sophomore, and that she was ready to find something a little bit different. DLI helps to support and promote the city’s commercial center, and Zogry expressed admiration for the downtown business owners she has worked with over the years and spoke to the value they add to the community.

“I believe in these people, these business owners,” Zogry said. “What they do every day is tremendously difficult. Running a small business is crazy, and they work so hard, and we all reap the benefits of that because of how great our downtown is.”

The organization’s board will oversee the search for the next director, according to a news release from the board. Board Vice Chair Mike Logan, who will help oversee the search, expressed gratitude for Zogry’s work.

“Our board and our membership is exceptionally grateful for Sally’s dedication to the Downtown community over the past decade,” Logan said in the release. “Sally covered so much ground for our organization. We have big shoes to fill. And, of course, we wish Sally well on her future endeavors.”