MICHELLE JONES

Starkville, Mississippi
 

AFFILIATION: Community Assistance Coordinator, Historic Preservation Division, Mississippi Department of Archives and History

AREA OF EXPERTISE: Historic preservation: local preservation planning, education coordination, events coordination, technical assistance

BACKGROUND & EXPERIENCE:  Michelle has worked in the historic preservation field for the past decade. Coming from an interdisciplinary background in Southern Studies, she has used the principles of historic preservation to promote Smart Growth as she works with communities throughout the state. In the past year, she was integrally involved in the establishment of the Starkville Central Neighborhood Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes historic neighborhoods and advocates for Smart Growth in Starkville, a community that is on the brink of growth and has great potential for development.  She and her husband have personally rehabilitated and restored fourteen houses in order to anchor the fringes of the neighborhoods in which they have lived. 

RESEARCH INTEREST: A community’s sense of place is evident from the treatment of its historic neighborhoods, central business district, and civic center. Michelle will use the Starkville Central Neighborhood Foundation as a case study to identify tools needed by a community and supporting organizations to protect these elements from insensitive land use and zoning, demolition by neglect, and heavy automobile traffic patterns. Her research will also examine community building opportunities that can be found in these neighborhoods through public spaces, community events, and promotion of sense of place.  The research will provide a work plan for a newly formed organization seeking to protect the community’s core.

By documenting successful community programs, as well as failures, this research will provide a template for other organizations to follow.  Michelle plans to disseminate the material, basically a guide to “How to Start a Nonprofit Preservation Organization for Your Community,” to towns and cities throughout the state. The study will document specific steps to take in the process—articles of incorporation, bylaws, paperwork for the 501(c)3 status, committee development, partnerships, and membership development. Michelle will gather research from local, nonprofit organizations through questionnaires, personal interviews, and site visits. 

E-MAIL: gmwj@ra.msstate.edu