While Southwest D.C. is the smallest quadrant in the city, it is also the one that is set to undergo massive change due to plans of political administrations and demographic change taking place in its neighborhoods.
However, Andre Witt, the chief operating officer of the Southwest Business Improvement District (BID), is working with his team to see that residents in his jurisdiction are enjoying a good quality of life and go beyond services that other BIDS in the city offer.
“There is a lot of diversity in Southwest,” said Witt, 61, to The Informer. “We at the Southwest BID manage 53 areas of public space. When we started out, we were looking to do something different. There are differences in Southwest in lifestyle and income, ranging from the people who live south of M Street SW to those who reside and do business in The Wharf. This is a BID that has the haves and the have-nots.”
Witt is leading the BID as the Trump administration has plans to sell or discard several of the federal buildings in Southwest, such as the Robert F. Weaver Building that houses the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Bowser administration, through the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) — which the Southwest BID works with — is pondering the use of the buildings and the land that the Trump administration wants to discard for the benefit of District commercial development in the area.
For example, on Oct. 20, 2022, Mayor Muriel Bowser, along with DMPED, the Southwest BID and community leaders launched the city’s first Mobility Innovation District, a project designed to help quadrant residents and visitors have equitable access to transportation through a $3 million grant.
“Through the activation of our beautiful waterfront, we have brought more jobs, opportunities, retail, restaurants, and entertainment to Southwest D.C.,” the mayor said. “In turn, which means more people coming to and through the community. By creating the Mobility Innovation District, we can reduce congestion, ensure more neighbors are benefiting from new opportunities, and build a greener, more sustainable D.C.”
It is the job of Witt and his team, known as Ambassadors, to make sure residents in each neighborhood and visitors to Southwest have a pleasant, productive experience.
“We try to cater to those areas,” Witt said. “We seek to bridge the community. We encourage our Ambassadors to get to know the community. We listen to the residents, what are they saying? What would it take to impact the quality of life? Everyone wants to feel safe in a clean environment.”
Witt’s Road to Southwest BID: Army, American Healthcare Association
Witt grew up in Oxon Hill, Maryland, in nearby Prince George’s County. He said that as a youngster, he enjoyed boxing and football as activities.
However, he admired the military and envisioned himself as a soldier and some family members were not happy with his choice.
“I had a middle-class upbringing,” he said. “I wanted to be a soldier to the chagrin of my mother. She would say to me that they had finances to send me to college, why the military? I stuck to my guns and joined the Army, and my mom accepted my decision. During my career, I worked for five years at Fort Bragg, and I grew up very quickly. I am glad I joined the military; it made me the man I am today.”
The DMV native said after leaving the military, he eventually landed at the American Healthcare Association.
“I worked for the American Healthcare Association for 19 years,” he told The Informer. “Working at the American Healthcare Association made me grow up. While there, I wanted to be the go-to person. If there was an assignment that needed to be done, I was serious about being that person. I wanted to make sure that the company I worked for saw me as an asset.”
Mutual connections landed Witt with Steve Moore, who began serving as the executive director of the Southwest BID in 2014. In 2016, Witt became the COO of the organization.
“Andre and I formed the Southwest BID a little over a decade ago,” Moore said. “After all this time, I am still amazed by the loyalty and affection that his team has for him.”
Witt’s Work and Impact: ‘Essential to the Well-Being of Southwest‘
While other BIDs in the District have Ambassadors — employees of the organization who wear signature polo shirts and pants of a particular color while performing their duties — Witt has established a unique program that goes beyond keeping the streets clean.
Witt has developed a food distribution program to underserved residents, a formidable task given that the Southwest quadrant has the highest concentration of public housing in the District.
He has hosted events for residents and local organizations designed to address the effects of urban loneliness and activated security and organized landscaping and cleaning projects with public and private companies across the Washington metropolitan area, fostering an environment for the educational, creative and stability of work for returning citizens.
D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), who represents a large portion of the Southwest BID’s service area, touted Witt’s critical contributions to the area.
“From personally responding to residents at a moment’s notice to leading the Southwest BID’s clean team, Andre has proven to be essential to the well-being of Southwest,” Allen, 48, said. “When the fire destroyed the Arthur Capper Senior Residence Building, he listened to what residents needed, shopped for supplies, and personally delivered the carefully packaged items. In short, he’s become someone the neighborhood can rely on.”
One of Witt’s major accomplishments is the establishment of the BID Academy program, an intensive and ongoing series for all Ambassadors in which they learn personal and professional skills ranging from place management to personal finance.
Witt said the Academy serves a distinct purpose.
“When we looked at hiring people, we noticed that some had deficiencies,” he said. “Some people don’t have soft skills, and we have worked with them on that, and they have improved.”
The Ambassadors begin each day at the Academy with formation, an activity Witt credits the military with instilling in him and one that Allen publicly praises.
“When his team lines up in formation at 6 a.m. each day and when they conclude after hours of cleanup, they talk about work, and they talk about their emotional needs or struggles in life,” the council member said.
Moore also praised the Academy’s team formation effort, noting: “Every day his team has a formation where they gather to plan the day.”
“They share areas of the BID that need attention, progress with ongoing projects and new assignments,” Moore continued. “This brief moment of quiet planning has become a signature of his work. He is a rare leader, a role model to his team and a friend.”
Imprint on the Southwest BID, Beyond: ‘He is a Great Figure‘
Having worked with Witt for more than 11 years, Moore appreciates watching him become a critical contributor to the Southwest area and residents.
“He (Witt) has emerged as a leader in this community,” Moore told The Informer. “The schools here, community groups, elected officials and others reach out to him for help and advice all the time. He never turns them down.”
Witt uses his platform to uplift others, emphasizing that Southwest BID makes it a point to be diverse and has made the hiring of women a priority.
In addition, watching the ambassadors prosper— such as purchasing homes and sending their children to college— has been a major reward for the COO.
Southwest BID Ambassador Danny Jones of Northeast D.C. said Witt has played a significant role in his life.
“I have been here since 2014 and he has helped me tremendously,” Jones, 46, said. “I have worked my way up and I have gotten promotions through hard work. Through this job I have been able to put my daughter through college, and I am in the homebuying process. He has been a figure in my life.”
Idania Arteaga of Northwest, also said that Witt has a profound influence on his staff.
“He is a great figure,” said Arteaga, 30, who joined the Southwest BID in 2018. “A father figure. He is always guiding me. He got me fresh out of college. He saw something in me. He made me a better leader.”
For Witt, one of the secrets to success is the way he treats people.
“My philosophy is to treat people the way they want to be treated,” he told The Informer.