On episode 15 of The Local Woman, Sierra and Jade chat with Local Woman, Melissa Macker!
Melissa is the founding executive director of The 567 Center for Renewal in downtown Macon, GA. In her day-to-day, she wears many hats, including marketing director, fundraiser, program planner, bookkeeper, and tech support. In her 10 years as executive director, she has booked concerts, built websites, hung art exhibits, started a pottery studio, and renovated a new building!
Although Melissa runs an art gallery, she does not consider herself an artist (perhaps because she could never pick one thing), but she admittedly enjoys dabbling in the arts. Her love of the arts started when she was young and was nurtured at the arts high school she attended in South Florida. Because of that experience, she really loves being around artists and meeting new creative people all the time in her role at The 567. Her latest artistic hobbies are gardening, photography, and pottery.
In addition to her work at The 567, Melissa is also passionate about plants! She received her Master's degree in horticulture from the University of Florida, with a minor in nonprofit management. That connection to nonprofits and her love of downtown Macon led her to help New City Church with start The 567 Center!
Over the years, she has found ways to use her horticultural knowledge, too. You can follow her gardening journey on her blog, Garden on Boulevard. She also started a business called Itty Bitty Herb Farm growing and selling fresh-cut herbs, and later herb garden kits in mason jars. Sometimes you can even find her teaching herb gardening classes at The 567!
To learn more about her work at the 567 and her ongoing collaborations with artists and community initiatives around Macon-Bibb, head on over to your favorite streaming site and check our Melissa's episode today!
