Main Street Alabama (MSA) recently announced eleven new board members and a new board chair who will continue to support the nonprofit's work in revitalization efforts in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts across the state. 

 

“We’re excited to welcome eleven new members who will bring diverse expertise from different areas of the state," said MSA State Coordinator, Mary Helmer Wirth. “We have worked diligently to ensure Main Street Alabama's board and leadership represents a variety of fields including from higher education, state leadership, advocacy groups, utilities and the newest board members are no exception.”

 

MSA also selected Jim Byard, Jr., Byard Associates, as its new board chair. Byard has served on the MSA board since 2017 and is replacing Immediate Past Chair, Lisa Miller, Manager of Communications and Economic Development, Alabama Municipal Electric Authority.

 

“I am personally delighted to welcome such a strong group of new board members, and I look forward to serving with each of them in the coming year,” said Miller. “I’m also very pleased that Jim Byard will lead the next chapter of our work in his new role as board chair. Jim has demonstrated exceptional commitment to advancing Main Street's mission, and we’re looking forward to his leadership.”

 

The new board members began their 3-year terms effective February 2022 and can serve a maximum of two terms. The new board members are:

• Stephanie Bryan, CEO/Chair, Poarch Creek 
• Ronald W. Davis, Executive Director, Wiregrass Resource Conservation & Development 
• Charles Goodrich, Director, Timberline Venture Investments
• Tina Naremore Jones, PH.D., Vice President, Division of Economic & Workforce Development, University of West Alabama
• Matt McCurry, Manager of Business Development, Alabama Power 
• Joshua Vick, Business Development Lead, Spire

New Ex-Officio (non-voting) members are:

• State Sen. Clyde Chambliss 
• State Rep. Anthony Daniels
• Scott Farmer, Executive Director, Southeast Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission 
• Hunter Gentry, Executive Director, Historic Main Street Oxford
• Connie Payton, City Clerk, City of Calera

Main Street Alabama's Trisha Black was recently promoted from Marketing and Communications Manager to Assistant State Coordinator. Black has worked with MSA since February 2016 after working in the role of Executive Director of the Main Street program in Athens.

 

To see a full list of the MSA Board and to learn more about Trisha, visit www.mainstreetalabama.org.

 

Main Street Alabama is a 501(c)(3) organization focused on bringing jobs, dollars, and people back to Alabama’s historic communities. Economic development is at the heart of this statewide organization’s efforts to revitalize downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. Main Street Alabama is the state coordinating program of the National Main Street Center and utilizes the proven Main Street Four-Point Approach to help communities organize themselves for success, create vibrant public spaces through design, promote their districts, and enhance their economic base.

 

Pictured in the photo from left to right: Hunter Gentry, Matt McCurry, Joshua Vick, Scott Farmer, Paul Carruthers (returning after serving on the Advisory Board), Tina Jones, and Ronald Davis.