Earlier this year, Buffy Skee (Oklahoma Main Street Program), Liz Parham (North Carolina Main Street), and Francis Jo Hamilton (Heritage Ohio) were elected to the Coordinating Programs Leadership Council! The leadership council serves as a liaison between the Coordinating Program Network and Main Street America. 

I spoke with Buffy, Liz, and Frances Jo to learn more about their plans for the leadership council and their work in their regions.

What do you want to achieve in your role on the leadership council?

Buffy Skee: I am committed to strengthening the bond between Main Street America and local communities, amplifying the voices of those on the ground, and celebrating the innovation and successes of local programs that make each Main Street unique.

Liz Parham: My goal for the leadership council is simple — to continue the work of establishing best practices that improve the functionality of Main Street America, Coordinating Programs, and local Main Street organizations. 

Frances Jo Hamilton: I want to increase our Coordinating Program’s capacity for state and federal advocacy and deepen our involvement with Main Street America. Having supporting staff means I have more bandwidth to work better with other Coordinating Programs and Main Street America. I would like to see us using more MSA services for our local programs. 

What is something exciting that you are currently working on in your Coordinating Program?

Buffy: The Oklahoma Main Street Incentive Program and the 2026 Main Street Now Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Main Street Incentive Program encourages investment, construction, and development of Main Streets in Oklahoma, focusing on efforts to sustain or restore vibrancy in commercial districts. These developments will enhance the cultural, recreational, scenic, and/​or quality of life in participating Main Street communities, attracting more visitors and generating additional sales taxes for the state and local communities. 

Liz: I have a few things in the works right now:

• Photography, videography, and drone videography in all 72 North Carolina Main Street communities, as well as storytelling training and itinerary development as an enhancement to the Main to Main Trail. 
• A study to look at defining today’s downtown anchors, and how to leverage those anchors for small business growth and development.
• The 25^th anniversary of the North Carolina Main Street Conference, the largest statewide downtown revitalization conference in the country. 

Frances: For 2026, our Coordinating Program is working on local connections with elected officials and using our office to facilitate and increase district meetings. We are also working with our board of directors to ​‘take up more space’ at the Main Street level. Having a multifaceted approach from our office means that the Main Street story is often not fully told or given the appropriate level of recognition.