Rebecca Anderson

Rebecca Anderson, Executive Director of HandMade in America

The featured speaker for Southwest Wisconsin BEST Conference 2008 is Rebecca Anderson, Executive Director of HandMade in America.

Based in the Blue Ridge Mountains, HandMade in America was founded in 1993 with a belief that economic revitalization wasn't necessarily tied to luring industry to the region but in making known the hidden heritage and crafts that are so vitally a part of Western North Carolina. It has since evolved into a nationally recognized, multidimensional institution that has sparked initiatives and creative collaborations in education, small town revitalization, economic development.

As Executive Director, Rebecca oversees operations and programs that involve 3,000 citizens and 20 regional partnerships and serves as a consultant for cultural and economic development projects related to crafts. Handmade’s programs include Small Town Revitalization and Community Development, Tourism and Travel, and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.

Rebecca served as Director of Economic Development for the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, Community Development Director for the Land-of-Sky Regional Council, and Director of Economic Development for the City of Asheville. Rebecca was named by US News and World Report as one of "America's Top Twenty Visionaries" for community and civic development work. In 2006, she spoke to audiences in eighteen states across the nation, covering a wide range of HandMade initiatives and experiences such as rural economic systems, landfills, tourism, and place-based economies.