2023 Break Out Sessions

Creating and Implementing a Vacant Building Policy, Robert Davie, Warrenton Town Administrator

The Power of the Façade, Travis Lee Hicks, Associate Professor, UNC Greensboro

Celebrating the Year of the Trail, Catherine Swain, Marketing Director, NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and Palmer McIntyre, Director, NC Year of the Trail; Coordinator, NC Great Trails State Coalition; Conservation Planner, Piedmont Land Conservancy

Do you Know your Downtown? Presenters: Mike Dougherty, Downtown Development Specialist, NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center; Laura Lachance, Downtown Director, Town of Murphy; Michelle Bunce, Program Manager, Town of Manteo; Jenny Kindy, Pilot Mountain Main Street Coordinator, Town of Pilot Mountain

Social Districts 101, Kim Atkins, Mooresville, Sada Troutman, Salisbury and Bernadette Peters, Sylva

Oh Dear, we Need a Volunteer, Sherry Adams, Program Director, NC Main Street Program and Liz Parham, NC Main Street and Rural Development Center

Avoid the Frying Pan, Get a Master Plan, Sharon Jablonski, Director of Cultural & Creative Development and Abby Nelson, Main Street Manager - City of Morganton

How can Main Street Programs Leverage CDFIs, Christine Laucher, Mountain Bizworks, Camila Molina, Thread Capital, and Jasper Jones, NC Rural Center

Building Collaborative Entrepeneur Programs/Ecosystems, Diana L. Schwartz, MSARP, Chief Executive Officer, River District Association, Danville, VA

Understanding how Municipal Service Districts Work, Erin Gilley, City Attorney, City of Eden, Erica Fonseta, Director, Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation, and Sarah Edwards, Executive Director, Downtown Smithfield Economic Development Corporation

Public Places – Epic Spaces, Joe Morris, Planning Consultant

Mapping your Assets for Economic Development, Glen Locascio, GIS Specialist

Are you on the Fence for Ditching an Event? Nicole Bentley, Executive Director, Heart of Brevard and Freddie Killough, Executive Director, Marion Business Association

Cultivating Partnerships on Main Street, Hanna L. Davis TMP, HREDFP, Main Street Program Director, Florence, SC

Livable Communities, Presenters: John N. Ogburn, City Manager, Asheboro NC; Jamie Carpenter, Downtown Manager, Hendersonville NC; Diane Young, Vice President LMY, INC; Cy Stober, Director, Planning and Inspections, Orange Count; Patrick Reilly, President, Rehab Development  

Let’s Make a Deal, Brian Borne, City Manager, City of Monroe, Ron Smith, City Manager, City of Statesville, and Sally Sandy, City Manager, City of Morganton

Trekking through your Main Streets, Kristy Carter, AICP, Senior Project Manager and Teresa Buckwalter, RLA, Multimodal Planner & Landscape Architect, Traffic Planning and Design, Inc.

Once Upon a Town:Community Storytelling 101, Phil Eich, Founder, Storyville

Does Your Board Get an Award or a Gourd? Panelists: Donna Beringer, President, Carolina Federal Credit Union, Board Chair, Cherryville Main Street Program, City of Cherryville; Bob Joyce, Senior Director, Economic Development, Sanford Area Growth Alliance, Board Member, Downtown Sanford, Inc., City of Sanford; Tharesa Lee, CEO and President, Intentional Excellence Consulting, Board Member, Swiss Bear, Inc., City of New Bern; Phil Boggan, Downtown Director, City of Belmont

Main Street: The Trailhead to Outdoor Recreation, Eric Woolridge, AICP, Destination by Design