**Not pictured: Alan Albin, Dylan Watson, & Abby Steele
DMD Team
Alyssa Barrera Mason
Executive Director
Alyssa Barrera Mason has led the Corpus Christi Downtown Management District as Executive Director since February 2018. She is a 4th generation Corpus Christi native. Prior to this appointment, Alyssa had worked for the City for seven years, serving as the City’s first Business Liaison for the City Manager’s Office since July 2014. The Business Liaison coordinated internally for economic development, downtown redevelopment, and tourism efforts and with partner agencies.
Alyssa earned her Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in 2010 and Master of Public Administration Degree in 2012, both from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. She serves on the Alumni Board of Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Alyssa was honored as Corpus Christi Under 40 in 2013. She is a graduate of Leadership Corpus Christi Class 42 and served on the Leadership Corpus Christi Alumni Board, serving as President in 2019. She also served in all levels of leadership for Young Business Professionals of the Coastal Bend from 2012 – 2015. In December 2016, she obtained an Economic Development Finance Professional Certification, through the National Development Council. In October 2021, she became a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) through the International Economic Development Council. Contact Alyssa.
Victoria Villarreal
Executive Assistant
Born and raised in South Texas, Victoria has resided in Corpus Christi for the last 19 years. As someone who is inspired by color and culture, she is excited to be a part of the DMD Team and participate in the continued growth of the vibrant and inviting space that is the heart of her beloved city, Corpus Christi. Prior to joining the DMD Team, she served as the Business Office Assistant supporting the Chief Financial Officer for 12 years at Incarnate Word Academy. She is a Senior in the Fine Arts Program at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. Victoria served as a muralist for the 2019 and 2020 DMD Electrical Mural Box Program completing “For the Love of Turtles” located on Mesquite and Lawrence and “Gall of the Gulls” on Water and John Sartain. Victoria’s favorite pastimes include painting, spending time with her cat, Chunky Muchacho, and exploring public art throughout downtown. Contact Victoria.
Alan Albin
Finance & Administration Manager
Alan joined the DMD in February 2009 and manages the day-to-day financial and administrative aspects of the organization. He is a transplanted Scotsman who married a Texan and has two children, Emily and Andrew. He worked as a Finance Manager in the not-for-profit sector in the United Kingdom until moving to the United States in 2006. In his free time, he enjoys cycling around Rockport and walking the Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge. Contact Alan.
Jenny Bodwell
Economic Development Manager
Jenny earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from Southern Methodist University. Her professional experience includes Analytics, Project Management, and Data Security Compliance. She had the honor of serving on the Lavon City Council and was chairman of the Parks and Recreation board while living in North Texas. She loves her two children, green tea, flow charts, learning, and serving others. She is a fourth generation Corpus Christian, and excited to combine her passion for analytics and community development to support the downtown community! Contact Jenny.
Christa Vivanco
Economic Development Coordinator
Born and raised in Miami, Christa grew up in an environment full of diversity and culture. She attended the University of Alabama and double-majored in Public Relations and Political Science while being an active member of the Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity. After graduation, she moved to the Windy City of Chicago where she started her career as a Public Relations Specialist for Insurance Navy, where she hosted multiple charity events with a focus on both digital and print marketing. Once the opportunity came around, she packed her bags and headed back to the beach to further her career. Living in Downtown Corpus Christi drives and empowers her to be a part of the progression and development of downtown. Contact Christa.
Kristen Acock
Placemaking Manager
Kristen was born and raised in Corpus Christi. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University (whoop!) in 2019 and her Master’s in City and Regional Planning from The University of Texas at Arlington in 2022. Kristen first interned with the DMD in 2019 as an Events Intern, rejoined us as our Graduate Policy Intern in 2021, and now serves as our Placemaking Manager focusing on all things urban planning related. In her free time she loves hanging out with her kitty, Kringle exploring new places and being outdoors. Her favorite thing about Downtown Corpus Christi is the strong community that has been created and is looking forward to returning to her hometown and being part of the renaissance of downtown. Contact Kristen.
Emily Beardmore
Marketing & Events Manager
Originally from Sugar Land, Texas, Emily attended Texas Tech University where she received her degree in Advertising. After graduating, her job took her to West Texas (El Paso) where she launched her career. Now, with over 9 years of experience in the event planning, marketing, and hospitality industries, Emily made the move to Corpus Christi to support the ‘renaissance & revitalization’ taking place in downtown. Having owned her own business for 3 years, Emily has a growing passion for supporting businesses via creative concepts and campaigns. She loves volleyball, her fur babies, haute cuisine, making lists, and is excited to explore the ‘beach-meets-country’ vibe of Downtown Corpus Christi. Contact Emily.
Dylan Watson
Clean Team Manager
Dylan was born and raised in Corpus Christi. He attended college at Texas State University and then graduated with a Bachelors of Business from TAMUCC. He has over 10 years management experience across multiple industries. Dylan enjoys the outdoors and sought the perfect opportunity to join Block by Block in December. He has two wonderful children and enjoys spending time with them on the weekends. Contact Dylan.
Abby Steele
Seasonal Events Assistant
Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, Abby was surrounded by a community filled with culture, diversity, and tradition. She always says that the kindness and family aspects of Corpus reminds her of home! After moving to Corpus Christi in 2018, she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Health Science with a minor in Business Administration at Texas A&M University-Corpus. In college, she was an active member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, where she had the opportunity to take on leadership positions which included planning internal and external events for the organization. She grew a passion for being able to plan events and the rewarding feeling of people attending and enjoying them! Abby’s favorite pastimes include going to the beach, painting, going on adventures, and hanging out with her cat, Blair. Contact Abby