Macon Magazine

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2023 | maconmagazine.com 91 Tell us about your background and how you came to live in Macon. Serendipity. I went to high school in Fayette County, Georgia, but le for college and didn't return for more than a few days at a time. In the last month of our Senior year, I realized I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I wanted to spend it with [my wife] Elizabeth. So, we got married and bounced around the South; I went from publishing to government to environmental policy before finally getting a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the Tulane School of Architecture. I promise: every transition made sense — especially coming to Macon. Historic Macon has a nationwide reputation for revitalizing disinvested neighborhoods like Beall's Hill. There was no question I would grow professionally here. It was when I met the board members, staff, and volunteers that I knew it was the right fit. Describe your work to someone who may be unfamiliar with historic preservation and the work of a nonprofit director in that specialty. Day-to-day, my role is to make our staff and volunteers excel. Historic Macon has an incredibly gi ed team. My job is to prod them, inspire them, and make space for them to be creative problem solvers. That means raising money and making sure every cent donated is well-spent to transform neighborhoods and upli historic places. One day, I'm on the phone with our communications and engagement pros to spread the news about our Flea Market or Patron Party, and the next, I'm sketching plans to transform a blighted building with our in-house contractor and historic tax credit expert. What inspired you to advocate for endangered and historic places, revitalize neighborhoods, and drive economic development? I love stories like this: An elderly couple living on a fixed income just moved back to Macon because Historic Macon sold them a refurbished house in North Highlands at a fair price. In an era of outsourcing and AI, place-based economic development is more important than ever. Building reuse and renewal doesn't just make Downtown hip or spruce up Intown neighborhoods; it creates homes for everyday people and jobs for plumbers, electricians, and carpenters. What do you love most about Macon? Why live here over anywhere else? It has to be the people. There is a quiet confidence here, an inclusive optimism. People we've known for years and people we just met all said: "You're gonna love it here!" And professionally, the historic architecture isn't just phenomenal; it's affordable. That means Historic Macon can buy, restore, and resell or rent at a reasonable price. It's history within reach! How has our community embraced you and made you feel supported? People have gone out of their way to be welcoming. They are eager to share their favorite things in Macon; I've got a month's worth of restaurant recommendations, and I now have the Z-Beans origin story memorized. But they were also patient with me as I learned about the community. I just intuitively knew that person a er person wanted me to succeed here — and wanted my spouse and kids to thrive, too. I've lived in places where a person who moves to town as a child will never be a "true local" in the eyes of some folks. If you choose Macon- Bibb, you're not just local — you're family. You are coming to Macon from New Orleans, a city with a higher Black majority than Macon, and you worked to help place Pontchartrain Park on the National Register of Historic Places. Macon's stories of redlining, racial bifurcation, and class tension are similar to what many southern cities have experienced. What learned experiences do you bring to Macon, considering these hard themes? The hard truths of history are much harder if we are wed to the past. In some ways, "historic preservation" is a branding failure. I really consider myself a futurist. My work is all about what we want our community to look like in 10, 20 or 30 years. What stories are too important to be forgotten? What places are too special to erase? The story of Pontchartrain Park is a story of resilience and hope. Not only was it the South's only suburb built for returning Black GIs in the 1950s, but the community rebuilt against all odds a er Hurricane Katrina. The real measure of success isn't that the neighborhood was listed on the National Register but that the neighborhood association president is now an active board member of her city's leading preservation nonprofit. So, I wouldn't say I came to Historic Macon because the organization has a roadmap to equity and diversity, but it would be a red flag if we didn't. None of us can do this work alone. You served as director of the Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans and the Virginia Conservation Network. One of Macon's greatest historic legacies is the lands and waterways of the Muscogee (Creek) people, much of which is now a part of Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. Our rivers and streams are important to our community economically, historically, and recreationally. Under your direction, will Historic Macon expand its efforts in climate resilience and preservation of our natural spaces? Wow: You have really done your homework! I recently attended the Ocmulgee Indigenous Celebration, and it was an inspiring reminder of the ways that nature and culture are interconnected. Rivers, farms, and forests need thriving cities and vice-versa. Poorly planned sprawl consumes open space and locks families into long commutes. Older, relatively dense neighborhoods allow people to live less polluting lives close to jobs and schools – That's true, by the way, of climate and water pollution. Of course, we can make existing communities greener by retrofitting buildings for improved energy performance and using green infrastructure to manage runoff. Historic Macon already has a record of creating parks and we have made small loans for energy efficiency. I would like to beef that up to help more people take advantage of federal rebates and tax credits.

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