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We are excited to welcome Lynda Tran, Tyrone Rachal, and Mary Helmer Wirth to the Main Street America Board of Directors
Each week this Women's History Month, Main Street America is spotlighting the stories of women leaders in local and coordinating Main Street programs. Women have played a critical role in the Main Street movement from the beginning, and many programs today are led by thoughtful and dedicated women who are making real change in their communities. Although they come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, each of these women are passionate about community preservation and economic revitalization, and we hope their stories inspire your work as well!
Olivia Manning, Founder and Executive Director – Downtown Bernardsville (NJ)
Olivia entered the Main Street movement gradually. Through her marketing and events background, she became involved with revitalization efforts in Bernardsville. Her research on that subject brought her to the Main Street America website, and she quickly saw the impact our approach would have in her community. She began advocating for Main Street membership, which they achieved in 2021. It was a powerful moment for Olivia: “I was beside myself with excitement and the community was excited right alongside me!” She urges Main Street directors to collaborate with local government. “Understanding your community, the people within it that help make decisions, and how to connect the right individuals together is a key aspect of being successful at this role,” she said. Most of all, she encourages other women to get involved, find mentors and partners, and be persistent in achieving their goals. As she said, “girl, you’ve got this!”
Jenny Cerny Boulware, Manager – Main Street South Carolina
While completing a graduate degree in public history, Jenny interned with South Carolina’s Main Street architect office and fell in love with the movement. She especially enjoyed “the interaction with local programs, the design work, and the Main Street camaraderie.” She worked as the executive director of Main Street Laurens for six years before leaving to work in academia. When the state level position opened, she leapt at the opportunity. Jenny says that “patience, creativity, perseverance, and enthusiasm” are key qualities for Main Street directors. She encourages people to seek diverse input and to always acknowledge the help you receive along the way. “Main Street truly takes a village. Beyond most other priceless, invaluable elements of Main Street work is the collective, purposeful action we all undertake - locally, statewide, regionally, nationally - to harness the greatness of our downtowns and our people,” she said.
Jamie Hale, Executive Director - Tahlequah Main Street Association (OK)
“To tell you the truth, what my perception of a Main Street leader was and what it is now are two totally different things," said Jamie on her career progression. "The thrill of planning community events is what brought me to Main Street. The historical preservation, community outreach and relationships are why I fell in love.” Born and raised in Tahlequah, Jamie is dedicated to preserving and improving the community that has given her family so much. Her advice for others pursing this career is to “celebrate the victories, no matter how small, and hang in there just a little while longer.” She also emphasizes that change takes time. The first two years of her work as executive director were slow and full of set-backs, but by year three, she found her stride. “We will continue to celebrate the small victories, just as much as the big ones, because we have learned, as a team, that the small victories are where we find the magic,” she said.
Ann Finchum, Executive Director – Auburn Main Street (IN)
Ann has had many roles in Auburn and Indiana Main Street, including serving on the Auburn Board of Directors and being named Indiana Main Street Volunteer of the Year. In 2021, she took the executive director position at Auburn Main Street. She says that communication is a crucial tool to balance the complex workload: “it never stops, and you must keep people engaged in order to keep them involved.” She also urges executive directors to facilitate coordination between the different levels of their organization. Her experience across many roles has taught her that everyone, from volunteers to staff to board members, plays a part in improving the district.
Mara Salcido, Executive Director – Lovington Main Street, NM
After studying abroad and traveling through developing communities, Mara began to see the struggles within her own community. “I was shocked to recognize for the first time that my community was also afflicted with very real problems and issues,” she said. This realization kickstarted her passion for community development to save retail, dining, and personal services businesses in Lovington. She dropped out of her environmental grad school program, started volunteering with Lovington Main Street, and worked her way up. She deeply believes in the value of this work: “through grassroots movements and organizations we can ensure a quality of life for everyone.” She encourages other women interested in the field to “think outside the box, develop connections and networks, and always be yourself.”
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Community Spotlight: Main Street Homer, Louisiana
Main Street Homer (Homer, Louisiana) was awarded a $25,000 A Community Thrives social impact grant from Gannett/USA Today Network to create an arts center with affordable artist studios and classroom/event space.
Evolution, Acceptance, and Change: The Main Street Approach as a Catalyst for Revitalization
Nearly slated for demolition 30 years ago, downtown Cedar Falls has experienced an amazing transformation through its revitalization journey using the Main Street Approach.
Main Street Roots Run Deep in Downtown Wytheville
Since starting as Executive Director, Todd has helped the organization achieve Virginia Main Street Designation Status and national Accreditation.
Announcing the 2018 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc., announced Downtown Oregon City, Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency, and Howell Main Street as the 2018 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) winners during its annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
Main Streets in Action
We rolled out four new Main Street America videos highlighting the power of the Main Street movement, Main Street Approach, economic impact of Main Street, and the incredible volunteers that make Main Street's grassroots network so effective.
Community Spotlight: Ridgefield Main Street
Ridgefield Main Street is an energetic, up-and-coming Washington Main Street program located just north of Vancouver, Washington.
Want to do something big? Start small.
A series of small, incremental improvements, when taken together, provide momentum for long-term economic transformation and improved quality of life in a community.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: The Refresh from Our Communities’ Perspective
Here's a bit of background on each of the communities. Read on for the Refresh Implementation Q&A.
Announcing the 2017 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc. announced the 2017 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) during its annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Reality of Main Street — Letter from the President
The National Main Street Center and the Brookings Institution have jointly authored a response to Mr. Hyman’s piece, The Reality of Main Street, that is featured on Brookings’ blog.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: Our Process and Lessons Learned So Far
Michigan Main Street Center was the first Coordinating Program to implement the new Main Street approach on a large scale. In this article, they share their robust process and valuable lessons.
The Reality of Main Street
There is another way for smaller communities to compete in today’s economy and we believe a strong main street strategy is at the heart of it.
The Myth of Main Street? Letter from the President
Letter from past MSA President, Patrice Frey
The Lowdown in Downtown LaBelle
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Strategic Planning Through Transformation Strategies – Saline, Michigan
Back in October 2015, we introduced the three key components of the refreshed Main Street Approach: inputs, outputs and Community Transformation Strategies.
Revitalization and Main Street Transformation
For a lucky few downtowns, greatness may happen effortlessly with a strong sense of place that seems to develop organically and simply sustain itself. For most places, success doesn’t happen by chance.
Revisit Your Community’s Unique Assets: Connecting Asset-Based Economic Development to Community Transformation Strategies
This need for change results from the heavy emphasis on three components of the refreshed Main Street Approach.
The 2016 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The 2016 winners are a diverse group in geography and character, but together demonstrate the broad applicability of the Main Street Approach:
Main Street Nation Radio
The first official show under the Main Street Nation banner aired in June 2015 on WJR-760 AM Detroit.
The Path To The Future
The economic value of historic preservation on Main Street.
Refresh Demonstration Project Sites: Learning Labs for the Updated Main Street Approach
A series of demonstration projects providing the opportunity to test new strategies on the ground, learn from practitioners, and refine the approach.
Why Business Retention and Expansion Plans are Important for Downtowns
A business retention and expansion plan, properly implemented, not only helps keep businesses open but possibly even helps them expand.
Wisconsin Main Street: 27 Years of People, Places and Progress
While there have been over $1.2 billion in public and private investment in Wisconsin Main Street communities over the past 27 years, what really makes it special are the people and places that have been involved.
Pop-Up Art Tour
Main Street Bartow's empty storefronts become pop-up art galleries to promote economic development.
A Walk Through Rehoboth Beach Main Street
Although a “beach town,” Rehoboth Beach is open 365 days a year, and with that has the unique challenge of catering to both year-round residents and tourists within a wide range of ages, interests and economic levels
Independent We Stand Makes Main Streets a Priority
In communities across the country, hardworking business owners and buy local advocates come together to foster an organized effort to reinvent and revitalize Main Streets and downtown districts.
Announcing the 2015 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center is pleased to announce that Cape Girardeau, Mo., Montclair Center, N.J., and Rawlins, Wyo. were selected as the 2015 Great American Main Street Award® (GAMSA) winners.
