By Jason Islas
Staff Writer

November 15, 2013 -- Debra Zehm has spent ten years managing property for Equity Office in Downtown Santa Monica, and she has seen firsthand how the district has become “a destination” in the region.

As Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.'s newest board member, Zehm — who joined the board in September to fill the seat vacated when Allan Golad resigned in July — is happy to be a part of the agency behind that transformation.

“I have seen the Promenade grow and blossom into the place it is today,” said Zehm. “It is my intention to help continue the work started by others to keep Downtown Santa Monica a great place to work, live and grow.”  

Zehm, who joined the Board in August, started her career in Northern California after graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.

She moved to Southern California to work at Union Station in Los Angeles during the development of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority Headquarters building and the East Portal Transit Plaza.

She joined Equity Office in 1997, and began working in Santa Monica when the company acquired the Colorado Center in 2004.

It wasn't long before her portfolio expanded, and Zehm began managing properties Downtown, including 233 Wilshire Boulevard and 429 Santa Monica Boulevard.

Today, she manages nearly three million square feet of office space in the beachside city.

Her goal is “to achieve the balance of maximizing asset value while satisfying the needs of the tenants, the physical property, as well as the surrounding businesses and community,” Zehm wrote in her board application. “These elements must work together to create an environment where all can thrive.”

Zehm often visits Downtown to enjoy dinner with her family and check on her company’s properties.

“I think that it's important for the office building owners to be involved,” Zehm said.