The Downtown Improvement Board replenished its board earlier this month, electing a new slate of officers and welcoming new board member Sara Papantonio, replacing restaurant owner Jean Pierre N’Dione, who served the DIB for the past six years.
- An associate attorney with the law firm Levin Papantonio, Sara Papantonio specializes in mass tort and class action litigation. Her current major cases include overseeing and managing the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination lawsuits, Infant Formula/NEC MDL, and Zantac MDL. The Gulf Breeze High School graduate earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Papantonio received her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Stetson University College of Law.
“It’s hard to say goodbye to ’JP,’ who has been a board member during my entire tenure as DIB executive director,” said Walker Wilson. “His insights as a downtown restaurateur and business owner have been invaluable to the DIB as we navigated through the COVID-19 crisis and more.”
Wilson adds that Papantonio “will be a great asset to our board, especially as she is both a property owner and resident of the DIB district. We are looking forward to working with her to further our mission of making Downtown Pensacola a great place to live, work and play.”
Papantonio will be serving on a board chaired by Chris McKean, owner of the Handlebar, a well-known live music venue and lounge in the DIB district. Vice Chair is Nathan Holler, co-owner of The Doghouse, a landmark restaurant on Palafox. William Merrill, an executive with the Merrill Land Company, is the new board treasurer. And rounding out the new DIB board is downtown business and property owner Raf Simpson.
The board is also assisted by ex officio members: Allison Patton, a Pensacola City Council member; Escambia County Commissioner Mike Kohler; and Gregg Harding, City of Pensacola Assistant Planning & Zoning Division Manager.