Our Team

Board of Directors

OFFICERS

Immediate Past Chair:
Jim Byard, Jr., Byard Associates, LLC

Chair:
Jeremy Arthur, IOM, CCE, Director, Government and Economic Development Institute, Auburn University Outreach

Vice Chair:
Tina Naremore Jones, Development, University of West Alabama

Chair, Development Committee:
Paul Carruthers, Regional Community Affairs Manager, Regions Bank

Chair, Governance Committee:
David Walker, Non-Profit Consultant

Chair, Development Committee:
Paul Carruthers, Regional Community Affairs Manager, Regions Bank

Treasurer & Finance Committee Chair:
Dennis Fain, Retired, Jackson Thornton/Main Street Wetumpka Treasurer

Secretary:
Tim Blair, CCIM, CPM, Partner, Shannon Waltchack

MEMBERS

Natalie Arendall, Program Manager, Daniel Foundation

Alex Flachsbart, Founder and CEO, Opportunity Alabama

Charles Goodrich, Managing Director of Timberline Venture Investments

Alex Jones, President UB Community Development, United Bank

LaQuisha Buggs, Energy Services Manager, Alabama Power

Bakari Miller, Vice President Business Development, EDPA

Cristy Moody, Executive Vice President, Walker Area Community Foundation

Steve Pelham, Associate VP for Economic Development, Auburn University Research and Innovation Center

Tami Reist, President/CEO, Alabama Mountain Lakes Association

Ashley Russell, TCF and Corporate Giving Specialist, Blue Cross Blue Shield

Joshua Vick, Business Development Lead, Spire

George Talbot, Sr. Vice President, Volkert, Inc.

Jason Fondren, Principal Planner, KPS Group

Cecil Williams, Regulatory Compliance Executive, Regions Bank

Heather Wright, Regional Manager, Alabama SBDC Network

Ex Officio Members

Kenneth Boswell, Director, Alabama Dept. of Economic & Community Affairs (ADECA), represented by Ashley Toole, Deputy Director, ADECA

Ellen McNair, Secretary of Commerce, Alabama Department of Commerce represented by Eddie Postell, Director of Small Business Advocacy

State Sen. Clyde Chambliss

State Rep. Anthony Daniels

Lisa Jones, Executive Director Alabama Historical Commission represented by Paige Thomas, Certified Local Government (CLG) Coordinator/Community Preservation Grants Coordinator/Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, Alabama Historical Commission

Scott Farmer, Executive Director, South East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission

Mary Jackson, Education and ACE Program Coordinator, Alabama League of Municipalities

Clara Tapplin, Programs Manager, Alabama Association of RC&D Councils

Jo Jo Terry, CTIS, IOM, Digital Marketing Director/Gulf Coast Regional Director, Alabama Tourism Department

Karla Eden, Director Liason, Anniston Main Street Executive Director

Cornell Wesley, Director Office of Innovation and Economic Opportunity, City of Birmingham

Staff

Mary Helmer Wirth - President/State Coordinator
Trisha Black - Assistant State Coordinator
Mariah Montgomery - Program Development Specialist
Jennifer Schuette - Donor Relations and Administrative Manager

Learn More

Quick Facts

Alabama has 33 designated Main Street Alabama communities.

The Main Street Approach is an important economic development tool for historic preservation in Alabama.

Main Street Alabama is a non-profit organization which stresses public-private partnerships, community engagement, and strategies that create jobs, spark investment, attract visitors, and spur growth.

From 2014-2023, Main Street Alabama communities reported a cumulative total of 4,530 net new jobs.

Property investment in Main Street districts generates millions in taxes for state and local governments.

Main Street is a unique preservation based economic development program.

There are 26 Network Main Street Alabama communities in the state.

Our Main Streets tell us who we are, who we were and how the past has shaped us.

Main Street builds on the authentic history, culture, and attributes of specific places, to bring sustainable change.

Main Streets help keep profits in town.

Main Street is a powerful network of linked communities.

Main Streets are prominent employment centers.

Main Street is a proven strategy for revitalization.

From 2014-2023, over $1 billion in public and private money was invested in Alabama's Main Street districts.

Main Street Alabama was launched in 2013.

For every dollar Alabama puts into the Main Street program, $13.36 is paid back to state coffers in sales taxes.

Our Main Streets are places of shared memory where people still come together to live, work and play.