Carissa Demore

Annapolis Main Street Program

My internship was with the Annapolis Main Street Program, a partnership between the City of Annapolis and the non-profit Downtown Annapolis Partnership, whose purpose is to preserve the historic business core of Annapolis through five key points: Promotion, Economic Restructuring, Organization, Design, and Clean/Safe/Green. My key responsibilities during the summer included coordinating meetings, conducting best practices research, and developing the program’s website, as well as coordinating communications between city employees, the state Main Street program, volunteers, and partnership board members. Not only was this internship beneficial because it provided me with valuable experience in managing a volunteer-driven organization and working with both city and non-profit preservation groups, it also impressed upon me the importance of preserving the economic health and vitality of businesses that thrive in historic buildings as a broader strategy for preserving historic business districts.