Macon Magazine

Tell us about your job and why you chose your career field. I think a sense of duty to community, and the people and resources that make it up, is why I both ran for office and why I was excited to accept the position as Executive Director of the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative. I learned that right here in Middle Georgia. Macon taught me the value of preserving who we are while always moving forward in the image of what we can be. Both local government and ecological and cultural conservation most certainly allow me to use those lessons I learned from our neighbors every day. Tell us about your activities in the community, especially what you're most excited about. We are on the cusp of becoming the gateway community for Georgia's first National Park and Preserve. I'm not sure I can overstate what this means for our community, our economy, the conservation of the ecosystem locally and globally, and for the soul of this community. And it's not just Macon - the potential impact will be generational for municipalities up and down the Ocmulgee Corridor and the state of Georgia as well. Our partners at the National Park Conservation Association and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation project that this park and preserve could attract up to 1.6 million visitors a year and create upwards of 287 million dollars in economic activity. This project allows us to protect the hunting, fishing, recreational use, and ecosystem along the Ocmulgee Corridor for generations. It protects endangered species and helps mitigate the effects of climate change. It boosts the quality of life and creates much needed buffer land outside of Robins Air Force Base. It is foundational in a relationship of trust and good faith with the Muscogee As you look to the future, what are your professional and personal goals? My personal and professional goals intertwine. Oftentimes I get asked, "Why am I focused on creating a safe space for founders of color? Why not everyone?" When we look at data on a local to national level, the pipeline for access to resources for founders of color is not braggable. This is not to minimize the work that many do, which I'm grateful to see and experience. We have a historical reminder there is so much more work to be done. My goal personally and professionally is to make a dent along with other changemakers where we can level the playing field, where we provide access to resources for innovators, creatives, and technologists of color locally, where they can show up on a global market amongst all races to have access to the same jobs, where they, too, can provide for their family. What are you personally committed to accomplishing in Macon and why? Besides the previous goal answered above, just showing up authentically as myself (quirky, introverted, and passionate) while holding space for others to walk in their zones of genius. Right now, what is the best thing going on in Macon? The activations of diverse initiatives in music, art, start-up communities. What have you learned about yourself or people during the post- 2020 era (taking into consideration COVID, Black Lives Matter, economy, etc.)? What do you hope people will do in response to any/all of our current events? To be candid, these last few years have brought a lot of loss. Although many use the word "lost" metaphorically as the beginning of a new chapter, it is also scary. I think humanizing people's experiences of how they decide to show up is something to consider, and in a stress-inducing era, we have to remember to be gentle with ourselves and others within our communities. What is your vision for our community? To create a space of empathy where decisionmakers can create a room of healing for us all. Healing brings collaboration where we can nurture our economy and our story. What needs to change to encourage continued progress in our city? You want to know what kills innovation and progress? "This is not how we do things here" or in some instances (not all) "This is not going to work." What does it mean to be a good leader? To be sensitive to different voices and create avenues where the marginalized have a safe space. When systems have been around for generations and you are intentional about creating a safe space, that is an uncomfortable process. But innovation doesn't thrive in redundancy. Being a good leader means creating holistic opportunities for individuals within our communities to thrive and grow for a better future for our community and generations to come. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Working on myself through therapy to better show up for my community. "BEING A GOOD LEADER MEANS CREATING HOLISTIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES TO THRIVE AND GROW FOR A BETTER FUTURE FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND GENERATIONS TO COME." -CHRISTÈLE PARHAM Seth Clark, 37 Mayor Pro Tempore and County Commissioner, Macon-Bibb County and Executive Director, Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative 42 maconmagazine.com | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022

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