Senior Program Officer at Main Street America
Joi Cuartero Austin is a Senior Program Officer with Main Street America, where she supports communities across the country in strengthening their entrepreneurial ecosystems and implementing the Main Street Approach™. With experience as a former Main Street Executive Director and current small business owner, property owner, and economic development professional, Joi brings a practical, on-the-ground perspective to helping local programs build Economic Vitality through community engagement and identifying strategic initiatives.
Economic Vitality is more than a buzzword—it’s the backbone of a thriving Main Street. In this interactive three-hour workshop, we’ll explore how to take Economic Vitality from theory to practice. We’ll start with the fundamentals of EV within the Main Street Approach™, then move into a deeper dive on what strong EV committees and work plans look like in action. Participants will explore how to build and implement a strong Business Recruitment, Retention, and Expansion (BRE) program, and learn the role Main Street plays in cultivating strong business relationships rooted in trust. We’ll break down how to create meaningful EV work plans that move beyond ideas to action, while also demonstrating how to use tools like the BOOMS Tracker to measure and celebrate progress.