By Gerri Miller
Staff Writer
Prattville resident and community advocate Lisa Miller has been named as the chairman of the board for the Main Street Alabama program.
Main Street Alabama focuses on bringing jobs, dollars and people back to historic Alabama communities. Economic development is at the heart of the organization’s efforts to revitalize downtowns and neighborhoods.
“We provide a tiered program of services to help communities organize themselves for success, improve the design of their neighborhoods, promote their districts and enhance their economic base,” Miller said.
“It is also important for us to not only support economic development but also community development in our Main Street program,” she continued.
Wetumpka is the only community in the River Region that is certified as a Designated Community in the Main Street Alabama program. There are 23 Designated Communities in Alabama. Prattville is listed as a Network Community, meaning that it is in the process of developing a plan to move forward to determine if the city has the resources plus the human capacity to have a designated Main Street program, Miller said. There are 31 Network Communities in the state.
Miller is involved with the Main Street Alabama program through her employer, the Alabama Municipal Electric Authority (AMEA). AMEA provides wholesale power for 11 cities in Alabama that serve 350,000 customers. She is the Manager of Communications and Marketing for the organization.
Miller has been working with the Main Street Alabama program for five years and has served as secretary as well as vice chairman. Her appointment as chairman of the board will begin on Jan. 1, 2020 and will continue for two years.
She is no stranger to economic and community development in her hometown of Prattville. She has been a member of Prattville’s Industrial Development Board since 1997. She is past president of the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as a past board member of the organization, having served six years as Vice Chairman of Economic Development and chairman of the Economic Development Committee.
Miller is also a past board member and chairman of the board of the Prattville Baptist Hospital Advisory Board, as well as a past board member of River Region United Way and the Autauga County United Way.
Miller was also actively involved in the formation of leadership programs in Autauga, Elmore and Chilton counties. She served on the boards of Leadership Autauga and Leadership Elmore counties.
She is a native of Alexander City and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations/journalism for Auburn University.
Main Street Alabama is affiliated with the National Main Street Center and utilizes a four-point approach to help communities organize themselves for success, improve the design of their neighborhoods, promote their districts and enhance their economic base.
To become a Designated Main Street Community, a first-time community must attend an application workshop, be recommended by a selection committee based on a complete application and evaluation of capacity, as well as be approved by the Main Street Alabama Board of Directors. New communities are limited to three per year.
Designated Communities in Alabama include Foley, Elba, Dothan, Monroeville, Eufaula, Marion, Wetumpka, Opelika, Alexander City, Montevallo, Columbiana, Birmingham, Heflin, Oxford, Anniston, Jasper, Gadsden, Fort Payne, Scottsboro, South Huntsville, Decatur, Athens and Florence.
Network Communities include Daphne, Bay Minette, Atmore, Enterprise, New Brockton, Ozark, Headland, Thomasville, Luverne, York, Demopolis, Selma, Prattville, Tuskegee, Lanett, Lafayette, Calera, Alabaster, Five Points South, Birmingham Business District, Historic 4thAvenue, Attalla, Hanceville, Arab, Falkville, Hartselle, Russellville, Moulton, Courtland, Town Creek, Rogersville, and Madison
