SDDA Board
2010-2011 Board of Directors & Staff
Members at the 2010 Board Retreat
Sarah Butterfield~President. Sarah moved here 11 years ago with her husband and 2 children to purchase Blue Mountain Coffees. The coffee shop has provided her with many friends and opportunities. She loves yoga, walking and reading (not all at the same time). Pet projects include the Farmers’ Market, Staunton Public Library and Cat’s Cradle. Sarah has enjoyed her tenure on the board and has learned a lot about what SDDA does for the downtown.
Brenda Groah~ Vice President. Brenda Moore Groah owns Schmid’s Printery at 124 E. Beverley Street. Established in 1897, Schmid’s offers full service printing, with excellent personal service. Brenda graduated from Holden School Of Design with a degree in Graphic Arts She has been in printing for 30 years and has worked in Downtown Staunton for more than 20 years.
Tiffany Swink-Maddux~Treasurer. Tiffany has lived in Staunton her entire life. She has a son that is 7 years old and attends Staunton City Schools. She has worked at BB&T for five years and at the downtown office for the past three. She enjoys walking, running and spending time with family & friends. Tiffany is looking forward to working with SDDA and having the opportunity to serve as Treasurer.
Matt Gaffney~ Secretary. Matt Gaffney wasn’t born in Staunton, but he got here as fast as he could (2008). He has been a professional crossword puzzle writer for the past 15 years and lives with his Staunton born-and-bred girlfriend and their Staunton born-and-bred cat. He spends almost all of his free time in downtown Staunton and is eager to contribute to its continued success.
Marc Paxton~Design Chair. Marc Paxton, a sole-proprietor architect, has been a Staunton resident and local design professional since 1992, previously practicing in Charlottesville, New York & Florida. Presently serving on the SDDA Design Committee, Marc has served previously on the board of the Historic Staunton Foundation & also as a founding member & chairperson of the Historic Preservation Commission.
Greg Beam~ Promotions Chair. Greg Beam currently works as an Employment Specialist with Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. Prior to working for Goodwill, Greg was employed for over ten years with the City of Staunton Recreation & Parks Department, serving as the Recreation Programs & Events Specialist and later as the department’s Public Information Officer. Greg now serves as the Artistic Director of Theatre for AMPERSAND ARTS and enjoys directing and producing plays during the summers with Oak Grove Theater. Greg a former downtown Staunton business owner, has served on the SDDA board since 2006 and has and co-chaired the SDDA Promotions Committee since 2007.
Kathleen Stinehart~Economic Development Chair. Kathleen Stinehart owns Cranberry’s Grocery & Eatery, a natural foods restaurant and store on south New Street. She loves being downtown. Prior to Cranberry’s, Kathleen served as dean for academic outreach at Mary Baldwin College for most of a decade and prior to MBC, she was a continuing education administrator at Iowa State University and Muscatine Community College. She says starting Cranberry’s is her third career, while higher education was her second. Her first was teaching kindergarten. Kathleen has 3 grown children and 4 grandchildren. She lives in Staunton with her husband Alan and her dog Jiggs. Dr. Stinehart served on the SDDA board and promotions committee from 2003-05 and is currently chair of the SDDA’s Economic Development committee.
Erin Blanton ~ Organization Chair. Erin Blanton owns Pufferbellies Toys & Books in downtown Staunton with her mother, Susan. Pufferbellies is the largest family-owned specialty toy store in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Erin specializes in social-media marketing, and spoke on the topic at the 2010 American Specialty Toy Retailing Association’s annual academy. Erin currently serves as Chair of the SDDA’s Organization Committee.
Turney McIntire~Member-at-Large. Turney McIntyre has been an independent insurance agent for Banker Insurance in Staunton since 1992. He works with many different types of insurance needs for clients. Turney is the 4th generation in his family to make a living in downtown Staunton. Married, with 2 teenage daughters, Turney attended Lee High and graduated from JMU with Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. Downtown Staunton has always been a source of pride for him and his family, and he looks forward to being more involved in the continued success of the SDDA.
John Huggins~Member-at-Large. John Huggins and his wife, Cheryl moved to Staunton from North Carolina in 2006 to open Shenandoah Pizza, which features gourmet pizza and fine selection of MALTED beverages. John and Cheryl refurbished the building at 19 E. Beverley Street. “We love being part of the community and supporting the arts.” John Huggins has served on the SDDA Promotions Committee and is a Board member for the Staunton Music Guild. He is an advocate for Downtown concerns and spearheaded the effort to amend the City Sign Ordinance to allow sidewalk signs in the Downtown Service District.
Rebecca Watson~Member-at-Large. Rebecca was born in Staunton, moved to SW Flrida when she was about 13, and lived there for 25 years. Married to her high school sweetheart, they have been married for 23 years, have 2 sons, ages 11 and 19. Rebecca and her family returned to Staunton in 2004, where she worked for SDDA as Senior Administrative Assistant for several years. Rebecca purchased Turtle Lane in February 2008, and really loves what she is doing.
Deirdre Sullivan~Member~at~Large.
Bruce Elder~City Council Liason. Bruce Elder is the owner of Elder Antique Autos in Downtown Staunton. He has served on City Council since 2006.
Jim Halasz ~ Assistant City Manager~ Ex Officio. Jim is Deputy City Manager for the City of Staunton and has worked in Staunton for over 10 years. He has served over 20 years in local government in Virginia and Michigan as a manager or assistant. He has been the City’s primary liaison for the SDDA during his 10 years in Staunton and stands ready to assist the SDDA and downtown businesses in any fashion possible.
STAFF:
Julie Markowitz~Executive Director. Julie is originally from Luray, Virginia, where her family owned and operated several small businesses, including Markowitz Appliances, still located in Downtown Luray and the Holiday Motor Lodge, formerly located ½ mile from the Luray Caverns.
She has lived in Staunton since 1993. Julie came to Main Street in 2006 armed with 10 years experience in mall marketing and promotions, working for Simon Property Group in Harrisonburg at Valley Mall and at Charlottesville Fashion Square. Simon Property Group is the largest REIT and commercial developer in the United States with several overseas developments recently added to their portfolio. She feels fortunate to have received the kind of corporate education that a large company brings to the table. Julie has a degree in Music from Bridgewater College and is pleased to be able to live, work and promote Downtown Staunton and the Shenandoah Valley.
Karen Lawrence~Program/Project Administrator. Karen moved to Staunton in 2005 from her home state of Florida. A writer by trade, Karen started her own publicity and marketing business in 2007 that caters to other writers and musicians. In 2009 she organized the Staunton Music Guild, a grassroots organization with a mission of providing networking, promotion, educational and community outreach through music. Karen is a former Army officer and mother of one grown son. She enjoys hiking, nature photography and live music—all of which she finds “delightfully abundant” in the Shenandoah Valley.
Janie Ballurio~Administrative Assistant. Janie is very familiar with retail in Downtown Staunton! She owned The Bookstack from 1978 to 1998. She and her husband, Jack, have two sons and two grandsons who live in Colorado. Janie is very active with all the community theaters in the area, and is Board President for the Staunton Performing Arts Center. Jack and Janie are members of Covenant Presbyterian Church and Janie enjoys singing in the choir.
