The new director of the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association thinks the organization needs a champion.

Quinn Haase, who took over leadership of the organization in September, believes he can fill that role.

Haase has a wide-ranging background — he formerly worked as a buyer for the Clatsop Community College bookstore, but has also had stints as a bartender and an educator at a zoo. Locally, he is the leader of the Seaport Masonic Lodge, where he led an effort to preserve the historic building on Franklin Avenue in collaboration with the college’s historic preservation program and the Lower Columbia Preservation Society.

“I think it was in that leadership role, and through the work that I had to learn by doing … just seeing all the plethora of resources that exist to help this town stay the historic place that we all love it to be,” Haase said. “It was through that work that maybe this passion for Astoria really started to take effect.”

Haase replaces Jessamyn West, a former Astoria city councilor who had led the organization since 2021. He believes his diverse background — including experience acting and performing before crowds — will allow him to be a public-facing leader.

“I think often the challenge that we have to face is, a lot of people just don’t have a lot of awareness of our role and our function, or what it is we do, or how we accomplish that,” he said. “And so I think early on, one of my biggest goals is to really help the organization tout its successes, to show off the great work that we are doing.”