We’re lucky to welcome three great new board members to Create Appalachia. It’s always exciting to add new talent to the board, and these people bring it! Our newest members are John Luttrell, Director of Communications for the City of Bristol, TN; Amy Greear, VP of Institutional Advancement for Mountain Empire Community College; and Ked Meade, Director of Tourism & Economic Development.
Amy Greer currently serves as Vice President of Institutional Advancement for Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, VA. She has also served as Director of Impact for the United Way of Kingsport, Communications Director for Kingsport City Schools, and a Norton, VA-based staff writer for the Kingsport Times-News. Amy has volunteered with CASA, Remote Area Medical, the John Fox Jr, Museum, and the Lonesome Pine Arts and Crafts Board, just to name a few of the organizations she’s supported.
Amy says, “I am a native of Appalachia, Virginia, currently residing in Scott County. I love my Southwest Virginia home. I am committed to removing barriers to education, supporting the welfare of children, providing opportunities for individuals to work and live in Southwest Virginia, and promoting the wonderful recreational opportunities and cultural heritage of our region. I am a mother of a registered nurse and wife of a Virginia State Parks Ranger.”
We’re pleased to have Amy serving as our Treasurer and look forward to working with her.
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Jon Luttrell is a native of Bristol, TN and currently serves as the city’s Director of Community Relations where he leads an award-winning team of communications professionals. This team leverages traditional and digital media tools along with original video content, special programs, and events to create new opportunities for engagement between the city’s various departments and the community they serve.
A lifelong advocate for the arts, Jon has previously appeared on stages throughout the Southeast as an actor and vocalist. While his schedule these days leaves little time for performing endeavors, he remains passionate about supporting our region’s creative ecosystem in any way he can, whether through utilizing his resources at the City of Bristol to highlight artistic programs and achievements in the community or by lending his voice to broader discussions about ways to empower both working and aspiring artists and creatives in our region to reclaim the definition of what it means to be a creator in Appalachia. Jon is thrilled and honored to be joining the board of Create Appalachia alongside so many others that share his passion for promoting the idea that art is work, and for developing resources to make our region’s creative economy even stronger. He also currently serves on the boards of Arts Alliance Mountain Empire and the Paramount Foundation and is a member of the Bristol Morning Rotary Club.
Jon holds a BA in Language and International Trade from Clemson University, an MBA from King University, and an MPA also from Clemson. Additionally, he holds a Graduate Certificate in Marketing Management and Digital Strategy from the Harvard University Extension School and is certified as a Master Public Information Officer through the University of Tennessee Law Enforcement Innovation Center.
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Ked Meade was born and raised in Big Stone Gap Virginia.. As an adult, he traveled the world while working in finance and banking. Ked also has a strong background in marketing, advertisements, and imagery. He started as a volunteer with Big Stone Gap, supporting the town’s promotions, photography, and marketing. When covid hit, his bank was closed, and he was hired by The Town of Big Stone Gap to be the Director of Tourism and Economic Development. He presently uses his talents, conections, and experiences to help build his beloved town, county, and region into a thriving tourism destination.
We’re happy to have such a great promoter of the region serving on our board. Welcome, Ked!
