Laurel Main Street (LMS) announced that the organization's executive director, Judi Holifield, will retire at the end of this year. Judi Holifield, who oversaw many beloved city events including the Loblolly Festival, Magnolia State Bank Chili Cook-off, Touch a Truck, Farmers Market and more during her tenure, joined LMS in the fall of 2011.
"Nobody has cared more about the mission of this organization, worked harder despite challenges or advocated more passionately on behalf of LMS than Judi," said Truitt Taylor, president of Laurel Main Street. "She successfully managed the organization through a period of significant growth and set us on a great path programmatically."
While Holifield was executive director, LMS received several Mississippi Main Street awards including Outstanding Community Transformation for a mid-sized town and she was named Outstanding Main Street Director in 2019.
"Working together with the membership and board at Laurel Main Street has been a highly rewarding experience and I'm very proud of what we've accomplished," said Holifield. "I look forward to the next chapter of my life and the opportunities to take time for myself and my family, while continuing to support LMS and its endeavors as a volunteer."
The LMS board is conducting a search for a successor as executive director.