Stuart Mease

Growing up in rural Southside Virginia near Smith Mountain Lake, we would often came to the “big city” of Roanoke for shopping and entertainment. My dad would reminisce about driving his dad to Roanoke down Jefferson Street where the retail mecca of the region resided. That was the 50s and today we are seeing tremendous revitalization of the downtown district for not only retail, but dining, housing and entertainment.

I began working for the City of Roanoke two years ago to work on addressing the region’s brain drain. We have created numerous programs and events, generated awareness for this important issue, and tried to instill hope, encouragement and a positive attitude for the next generation to call Roanoke its home. Many champions of this movement have emerged and we are grateful for everyone’s work on this issue. We are closer to the tipping point, but must continue innovating, shifting the paradigm and telling the offline and online communities how wonderful Roanoke is.

Just like my wife, who grew up in Roanoke and has stayed, I hope my child will want to stay or return to the region and sincerely know many opportunities exist for her to prosper and impact others. Please share with your friends from college, friends who live in other areas, chat about Roanoke online, do something to tell other people about this region and
let’s make it great for generations.

• Stuart’s Occupation: Special Projects Coordinator, City of Roanoke
• Stuart’s Hometown: Sandy Level, Virginia
• Stuart’s Website: stuartmease.com
• Stuart’s Social Profiles: Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn