Ric Cavender
Charleston Main Streets Executive Director
Charleston, WV
Ric is the Executive Director of Charleston Main Streets, the city’s community & economic development agency focused on the East End and West Side Urban business districts. Since the programs' inceptions, the districts have experienced public and private investments totaling over $420 million. A native West Virginian and Charlestonian, Ric has a combined 16 years of nonprofit and business development experience. Ric holds a Bachelors in Business Management & Marketing from West Virginia State University. He sits on the Boards of Directors of several organizations throughout the valley, including the YMCA of Kanawha Valley and the West Virginia State University Foundation and was elected to the Kanawha County Board of Education in 2016.
Ric is a 2015 graduate of Leadership West Virginia and was honored as a Generation Next 40 Under 40 award winner in 2010. In 2017, Ric was appointed by Governor Jim Justice to serve on the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council to fill the Urban Business User position, sits on the Economic Development Committee of the Regional Intergovernmental Council, serves on the Marketing Committees of the Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau and FestivALL Charleston, serves on the Charleston Wayfinding Commission, and serves on the Statewide Abandoned Properties Coalition, the group that worked together to advocate for the State Historic Tax Credit bill. Ric has presented on urban economic and community development at several national conferences including the Main Street Now Conference and the Tom Tom Founders Festival.
https://twitter.com/riccavender
