Olivia Collier has served the citizens of North Carolina by working with communities to improve their quality of life. She has had the opportunity to manage the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) program for North Carolina since January of 2007, whose goal is to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life for the people of Appalachia. Most recently, Olivia assumed the role of managing the newly created Southeast Crescent Regional Commission. In this role, she is working with the 69 eligible counties in North Carolina to make investments that will support sustainable communities and strengthen the economic potential of the region. Learn more about these programs here: https://www.arc.gov/ & https://scrc.gov/ and be sure to stay updated on what UPLIFT is doing: https://www.uplifttourism.com/.

Chase Conner serves as the Director of Travel and Tourism and Assistant Developer for Martin County, and through his job, he serves on many local boards and community groups. Currently, Chase is in his final year of his master's program in Parks, Rec, Sport, & Tourism Management at NC State and he hopes this knowledge will help him to continue developing Martin County into a great place to live, work, and play. Learn more about Martin County here: https://visitmartincounty.com/ and be sure to stay updated on what UPLIFT is doing: https://www.uplifttourism.com/.

Angela Sumner is the Executive Director of Lumberton Visitors Bureau, a nonprofit organization that positively promotes the Lumberton area to travelers. In addition to her responsibilities at the Lumberton Visitors Bureau she serves as Co-chair of the Main Street Lumberton Promotions committee, the chair of the Marketing Committee, and board member of Coast Host, SE regional tourism group. See what’s happening with the Lumberton Visitors Bureau here: https://www.lumberton-nc.com/events/ and be sure to stay updated on what UPLIFT is doing: https://www.uplifttourism.com/.

Get to know Terri Dennison, the Director of Communications and Marketing for the Town of Elizabethtown NC. As part of this role, she manages the Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and serves as the tourism voice for Bladen County, also known as Mother Nature’s Playground. Learn more about Mother Nature’s Playground here: https://elizabethtownwhitelake.com/visitors/ and be sure to stay updated on what UPLIFT is doing: https://www.uplifttourism.com/.

Get to know David McRae, the ARC Assistant Program Manager for North Carolina’s Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Program. His primary role is to assist North Carolina’s ARC Program leadership in implementing the state’s policies to fulfill the ARC mission to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia. Learn more about the ARC Program here: https://www.arc.gov/ and be sure to stay updated on what UPLIFT is doing: https://www.uplifttourism.com/.

Join us for a happy hour episode as we get to know Russ Haddad! Russ’ connection to tourism spans more than 20 years, dating back to his time as tourism director in Elizabeth City, NC in the early 2000s. Currently, he is the business development manager for the NC Craft Brewers Guild since January 2022. He works with companies and organizations to build the craft beer ecosystem in North Carolina. Learn more about the NC Craft Brewers Guild here: https://www.ncbeer.org/ and be sure to stay updated on what UPLIFT is doing: https://www.uplifttourism.com/.

Karen Williamson is the Executive Director of Caswell Arts, a nonprofit organization based in Yanceyville, NC. With a background in nonprofit management, she has been working on strengthening the foundation of the NGO and increasing the visibility of the arts in Caswell County. Learn more about Caswell Arts here: https://caswellcouncilforthearts.wildapricot.org/ and be sure to stay updated on what UPLIFT is doing: https://www.uplifttourism.com/.

Get to know Angela Allen, the Director of Granville Tourism Development Authority. Through this role, she promotes Granville County as a tourist destination by highlighting the county’s rich history, agriculture, and events in order to create future tourism growth. She was recently recognized for her work promoting Granville County at the DIY Tourism and Local Marketing Conference in Asheville and for her use of innovative community building to create a tangible impact in how current and future visitors view Granville County. Learn more about Granville County and what they have going on here: https://www.granvillecounty.org/ and be sure to stay updated on what UPLIFT is doing: https://www.uplifttourism.com/.

Liz Parham has worked for more than 36 years in the field of downtown revitalization and currently serves as the director of the NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center. She is a Certified Main Street Director from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Main Street Center and has a passion for downtown commercial architecture, small businesses, and the assets of rural North Carolina. Learn more about the Main Street program here: https://www.commerce.nc.gov/about-us/divisions-programs/rural-economic-development-division/nc-main-street-rural-planning-center#contacts and be sure to stay updated on what UPLIFT is doing: https://www.uplifttourism.com/.

Join us for a happy hour episode as we get to know Chris Cavanaugh, president of Magellan Strategy Group, and learn about his involvement in tourism throughout his career. With 28 years of experience in tourism, Chris has become known as an expert in destination and attraction marketing and planning. His experience as a planning consultant includes destinations of all sizes, both rural and urban; attractions, especially historic, natural, and cultural sites; and numerous other hospitality entities. Learn more about Chris and Magellan Strategy Group here: https://www.magellanstrategy.com/ and be sure to stay updated on what UPLIFT is doing here: https://www.uplifttourism.com/.