David Ehrenberg has been appointed president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 300-acre, former ship-building base turned city-owned industrial park. Ehrenberg is currently an executive vice president at the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC). Over the last decade the Navy Yard has emerged as an essential zone for preserving and growing New York’s manufacturing sector, especially small businesses. The Yard currently includes 4.5 million square feet of leasable space, with an occupancy rate of 99 percent.

An additional 1.8 million square feet are expected to open within the next 2 years. More than 6,400 people currently work at the Yard in industries as diverse as printing, furniture making, and film and television production. Ehrenberg studied government and urban studies at Wesleyan University and has a joint master’s degree in Urban Policy and Planning from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton.

“The Brooklyn Navy Yard is the national model of an urban, sustainable industrial park and I am honored to be entrusted with its continued growth,” said David Ehrenberg in a statement. “I look forward to working with the local community, city officials, and businesses to bring more jobs and modern-day, innovative manufacturers to the Yard.”