Cocoa Beach- Karen Thompson
I was raised in Winter Haven, Florida. My background is colorful and some may say “random” as far as careers go. I spent my teenage and early twenties water skiing at Cypress Gardens and SeaWorld. I spent my late twenties and thirties training dolphins and going to school.
I was introduced to Main Street in Winter Haven and began my career as an Assistant Director then eventually, Director. My passion is downtown revitalization and events. I’ve seen downtowns go from blighted to beautiful. I find it extremely gratifying to play a small role in such an important transformation. I’m excited to be a part of this in Cocoa Beach.
Main Street organizations play a vital role in downtown revitalization. We are residents, business owners, accountants, designers, retailers and more who have dedicated ourselves to downtown! The Main Street program works. Hundreds of downtowns are where they are today because of Main Street and their city governments who support them.
Cocoa- Ken Wilshire
Born in Memphis, I am a southern fried fan of good times, family, and fabulous friends. I am a friend of cool places, the blues, and all things grilled or smoked. I love my wife and my son.
I love creative vision and action and I am so happy to be involved with Cocoa Main Street. They foster my creative outlets and allow me to organize their efforts for the good of this awesome community. Organizations with hearts this full are the necessary vehicle for the passionate soul to see vision manifest into action. They contribute exclusively to the good of the community, and to exponentially impact quality of life for the places they call home!
Eau Gallie- Lisa Packard
I moved here six years ago from Alexandria, VA. My dad retired from the Air Force in 1969 and we moved to Cocoa. But the Cape cut back so we left for the DC area where I lived until recently.
I think Main Street programs offers well-meaning individuals a format to revitalize under-performing areas of town with an emphasis on retaining its historic architectural personality. The Four Point® approach covers all of the bases for revitalization. The structure of the nonprofit organization itself, the events required to build community and raise funds, and the tools for attracting new businesses. Through consensus building and focused project management, a town can rebuild and redevelop without destroying its historical identity.
Melbourne- Jarin Eisenberg
I am originally from South Florida, but I consider Tampa home. I graduated from the University of South Florida.. During my time at USF, I focused on how policies made at the highest level impacted students and teachers at an urban inner city elementary school.
My husband grew up in this area so we moved back right after graduating. I was fortunate enough that my first job out of college was at Florida Institute of Technology managing online degree programs for Florida Tech Online.
I’m proud to be a part of Melbourne Main Street because we help create a space for the entire community to enjoy. Downtown is everything. It’s art, culture, food, and fun. Main Street is a proven approach for supporting, promoting, and revitalizing historic downtown areas. We can see this in property values, community investment statistics, and other measurements.
If you had a time machine, what point in Florida history would you travel back to and why?
Cocoa- Ken Wilshire
“As a fan of Ernest Hemingway, I’d want to travel back to the early 30’s when he arrived in Key West. Having the opportunity to explore Florida then spending one good afternoon with Hemingway, uncovering all the stories behind the Sun Also Rises, would surely be a fine way to spend some time.”
Cocoa Beach- Karen Thompson
“If I had a time machine I would go back to the 50’s when Esther Williams was at the peak of her career. Many of her films and more were filmed right in my home town, Winter Haven at Cypress Gardens. I grew up idolizing the bathing beauties which ultimately lead to my love of waterskiing.”
EGAD- Lisa Packard
“My grandmother was a hostess at the original Fountainbleu Hotel in Miami. She was there when the Rat Pack blew into town and other notables in politics and show business. It was Miami’s heyday. I would love to have been able to experience that.”
Melbourne-Jarin Eisenberg
This is a tough one for me. As a young female professional, I am enjoying this time in my life and this point in history. So many doors have been opened for me by other women. If I had to pick something, I think I would say I would go back to a time when the Indian River Lagoon was healthy and thriving. The Lagoon is such a centerpiece to our area. I would use my time machine to put policies and protections in place so that it would not be in the dire condition it is today.
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