Angela Blackwell Carter loves the crape myrtle trees that line her street in Ghent.
And despite the allergy symptoms they give her, she can’t imagine living anywhere else.
“I just love it; Norfolk’s my home, a real treasure and a beautiful city,” Carter said.
Born and raised in Newport News, Carter’s roots run deep on the Peninsula. Her mother’s lineage dates to the founding of the city of Hampton, and her father’s family relocated to work in the shipyard’s foundry during World War I.
Carter remembers the adverse reaction she got when she told people she was moving to Norfolk decades ago.
“Back in those days, moving to Norfolk was a big move away,” she said. “That was telling of how the separation was. And now all these years later, I think our region has come together so much.”
Not one to toot her own horn, Carter has played a huge role in promoting a strong and vibrant region. She was the Hampton Roads Chamber’s vice president for leadership programs and executive director of LEAD Hampton Roads, the region’s oldest and largest leadership organization, for more than two decades.
During her tenure, the regional LEAD network has grown to more than 1,500 alumni who graduated from 21 classes. She expanded the core program to encompass all 17 communities in Hampton Roads.
“That was a wonderful job you don’t get tired of because nine days of every year, you’re out on the road seeing new things about the region,” Carter said. “So I had as much fun as the participants and learned as much as they did doing it.”
She created an offshoot program, including curriculum, for high school juniors and seniors with eXcel Leadership Academy. And she initiated and supported a board partnership initiative that placed more than 600 trained leaders on regional and community boards.
Throughout the years, Carter not only met new people; she got to know them well, too. One of those connections is Kurt Krause, president and CEO of VisitNorfolk and a 2015 graduate of LEAD.
When Krause determined the Norfolk Tourism Foundation needed to kick it up a notch, he reached out to Carter. The foundation functions as an adjunct agency to VisitNorfolk, a nonprofit organization that promotes the city as a destination for travelers and meetings and conventions.
“I needed somebody who had the skills,” he said.
Unbeknown to Krause, Carter had been reflecting on her career accomplishments and what might be next as she found herself taking long walks on those tree-lined streets of her adopted home city during the pandemic.
“I wondered what doors could open,” she said.
Then, Krause opened a door when he offered her the position of director of the Norfolk Tourism Foundation.
“She will be able to step right in and move us into a positive result-oriented and sustainable direction,” Krause said.
Ready to hone her experience and skills on the new job she started June 7, Carter said her main focus is to raise money. Started in 2004, the nonprofit foundation was created by LEAD alum Tony DiFilippo as a way to generate relevant research about the tourism industry’s positive impact on the economy and what made other cities “cool.” Today, donations fund scholarships, grants and research relating to the city’s tourism industry.
“That’s a part coming out of higher ed that’s really important to me — that we can open doors for people that otherwise might not be able to get the degrees they need to stay here,” she said.
She said the foundation has given over $50,000 in scholarships to people planning a career in hospitality fields. Together, she said, community leaders and residents can help build a skilled workforce and stronger industry.
“A lot of focus of the foundation is on supporting the next generation of people that will work in tourism,” Carter said.
And she is prepared to lead the way. Carter is an expert at showcasing the region, said Jim Carroll, executive director of the Small Business Development Center of Hampton Roads and a 2001 graduate of LEAD.
“Angela is going to be key in helping to develop the strategies to bring more people into the area, into our hotels, our events and the like,” he said.
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@insidebiz.com
