ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. – Ashley Thomas, Main Street Development Director for the City of Roanoke Rapids, has been elected to the North Carolina Downtown Development Association Board of Directors.
Thomas will serve as the association’s Northeast Director for the 2026–2028 term, representing downtown development interests and communities throughout northeastern North Carolina.
“This appointment gives Roanoke Rapids a meaningful voice in statewide conversations about downtown development,” Thomas said. “I look forward to representing our region, learning from communities across North Carolina, and bringing back ideas and connections that can strengthen our work here at home.”
Thomas joined the City of Roanoke Rapids in July 2025 and leads Main Street Roanoke Rapids, the City’s downtown revitalization program. Her work focuses on business support, community engagement, economic vitality, historic preservation, district promotion, and the continued redevelopment of the Roanoke Avenue corridor.
The North Carolina Downtown Development Association is a statewide nonprofit organization that supports downtown professionals and communities through education, advocacy, networking, and the exchange of best practices. Its membership recently elected 11 new board members, whose two-year terms began in July 2026.
Thomas’s election places Roanoke Rapids among the communities helping guide the association’s statewide work and strengthens the city’s connections to downtown development professionals, resources, and successful revitalization strategies across North Carolina.
Learn more about the North Carolina Downtown Development Association at www.ncdda.org.
About Main Street Roanoke Rapids
Main Street Roanoke Rapids is a City-led downtown development program working to support a vibrant, welcoming, and economically resilient Roanoke Avenue corridor. The program advances revitalization through the Main Street Approach, with a focus on design, organization, promotion, and economic vitality.
