MAIN STREET ALABAMA - Key Persons
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Founder and CEO, Opportunity Alabama
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- President UB Community Development, United Bank
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- TCF and Corporate Giving Specialist, Blue Cross Blue Shield
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- Founding Member, Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Vice President Business Development, EDPA
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Managing Director of Timberline Venture Investments
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director Office of Innovation and Economic Opportunity, City of Birmingham
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Executive Vice President, Walker Area Community Foundation
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Non - Profit Consultant
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Treasurer & Finance Committee Chair
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director, Alabama Department of Commerce Represented by Eddie Postell, Director of Small Business Advocacy
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Executive Director, Alabama League of Municipalities
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Regional Manager, Alabama SBDC Network / Ex Officio Members
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- Donor Relations and Administrative Manager
Jennifer Schuette (pronounced Shoe-T) joined Main Street Alabama in April 2021 in the role of Donor Relations and Administrative Manager. She grew up in Greeley, Colorado and found her way to Alabama via Oklahoma and Texas.
Her background is twenty years in Corporate America specializing in technical training, human resources and industrial electrical safety. Working in and around numerous papermills across the state has given her a unique perspective of small towns all over Alabama.
Jennifer is a graduate of The University of Phoenix specializing in Business Administration.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
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- Chairman of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- CTIS, IOM, Digital Marketing Director / Gulf Coast Regional Director, Alabama Tourism Department
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Business Development Lead, Spire
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director, Alabama Dept. of Economic & Community Affairs ( ADECA ), Represented by Ashley Toole, Deputy Director, ADECA
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Member of the Board of Directors
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
Job Titles:
- Member of the Main Street America Leadership Institute
- President / State Coordinator
Mary Helmer Wirth brings a wealth of knowledge to Main Street Alabama (MSA), specializing in the areas of community and business development strategies, relationship building, training and leadership development. Prior to her position with MSA, Wirth spent ten years as a local Main Street Director in Emporia, KS. This experience forged a lifelong interest in downtown revitalization and community development. Following her tenure as Emporia's Main Street Director, Wirth moved into the position of Kansas Main Street State Coordinator in 2007 and served in that capacity for 5 years. Prior to accepting her current position with Main Street Alabama in 2013, Helmer developed a leveraged funding package and managed the public relations on a project to convert a former high school into a hotel/convention center in Emporia.
Since moving to Alabama and taking on the relaunch of the statewide coordinating program for Main Street Alabama, Mary has traveled the state extensively providing training and direct services to the Designated Main Street Alabama cities and Downtown Network communities, including incorporating the Downtown Design Guide and the Downtown Development Guide as key resource pieces for all communities interested in redeveloping their downtown and neighborhood commercial districts. Mary has served as a keynote speaker/presenter at several events including Electric Cities Conference, Alabama League of Municipalities, Economic Development Association of Alabama, Alabama Communities of Excellence, Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation, EPA Community Framework Planning, Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham, Eastern Alabama Regional Planning & Development, Pepper Place Charrette as well as several local Main Street and Chambers of Commerce Annual Meetings and service clubs.
During 2015 Mary worked with representatives from Kansas and the National Main Street Center to re-establish the statewide Main Street Program there, culminating in a grant from USDA to fund the newly formed non-profit with staffed operations.
Mary is a task force member of the Main Street America Leadership Institute
Most recently, Mary was honored to be a presenter at the White House Convening on Rural Placemaking
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Manager of Business Development, Alabama Power
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director Liason, Jasper Main Street Executive Director
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Executive Director, Top Alabama Regional Council of Government
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Program Manager, Daniel Foundation
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Regional Community Affairs Manager, Regions Bank
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Executive Director, Wiregrass Resource Conservation & Development
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- Member of the Board of Directors
- Associate VP for Economic Development, Auburn University Research and Innovation Center
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- President / CEO, Alabama Mountain Lakes Association
Job Titles:
- Field Services Specialist
Tanya Maloney joins Main Street Alabama as Field Services Specialist with a variety of experience in the field of economic development and government relations. After graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in political science, Tanya had a distinguished career for ten years in Washington D.C. on and off Capitol Hill where she focused her efforts helping communities, universities, and non-profit organizations navigate through federal policy and funding opportunities.
Since 2015, Tanya has been serving in the role of Economic Developer for both the City of Heflin and Cleburne County. In a short five years, working with an amazing team of volunteers, Tanya oversaw the designation of the City of Heflin as a Main Street City, the private investment of over $40 million dollars, and the creation of over 270 jobs throughout the community. One such project was the rehabilitation of the former Cleburne County High School to Carillon Oaks Assisted Living, the first project in the country to utilize New Market Tax Credits, Historic Tax Credits, and Opportunity Zone funding.
She is the mom to Maisie (8), Hazel (6), and Etta (1) - three beautifully sassy girls - and wife to T.J. Maloney. When Tanya and TJ are not spending their spare time volunteering in their community, they are running the girls from dance, soccer, basketball, piano, gymnastics, and Church.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Partner, Shannon Waltchack
Job Titles:
- Assistant State Coordinator
Trisha Black joined the Main Street Alabama staff as the Field Services Specialist in February 2016 after working as a local Main Street Director for over seven years in Athens, AL. In 2020, she transitioned into the role of Marketing and Communications Manager. In February 2022, she was promoted to Assistant State Coordinator.
During Black's tenure, Spirit of Athens became a state-designated and nationally accredited Main Street program. Along with dedicated volunteers, Black was the driving force behind several projects emulated both state-wide and nationally including the Athens Saturday Market, a state-certified farmers market, the Athens Grease Festival, an annual community event and fundraiser, and High Cotton Arts, a shared working artist space that provides working spaces for 8 artists.
Black received the 2014 Main Street Alabama Leadership Award, recognizing her for frequently sharing her knowledge of the Four Point Approach with both communities interested in downtown revitalization and other Main Street programs. In 2020, she earned her Main Street America Revitalization Professional certification from the National Main Street Center.
She is a 1993 graduate of Troy University with a bachelor's degree in political science and journalism.