Main Street America announced Josh Rogers, President & CEO at NewTown Macon, as a 2025 Mary Means Leadership Award recipient. This prestigious award is Main Street America’s top honor recognizing individuals who demonstrate outstanding leadership in the field of comprehensive preservation-based economic development and commercial district revitalization. The award highlights the impact of these individuals and amplifies the critical role that leaders play in shaping the Main Street Movement. The 2025 Mary Means Leadership Award was presented at the closing plenary for the Main Street Now Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Nominated by former colleagues, and selected by a national jury, Josh Rogers is being recognized for his visionary leadership as President & CEO at NewTown Macon, and his pioneering work in community-driven revitalization. 

“Josh Rogers was one of the most impactful leaders the Main Street movement has ever known. He didn’t just transform Macon’s downtown; he transformed the very framework for how Main Street programs across the country think about inclusive revitalization,” said Erin Barnes, President and CEO at Main Street America.  “His legacy is one of courage, creativity, and a relentless belief in the power of building local. We are honored to celebrate Josh’s visionary leadership and the lasting impression he left on the national Main Street community.” 

Though he passed unexpectedly in November 2024, Josh’s impact will resonate for generations to come through the values he embedded into his community. Josh was a transformative and visionary leader whose legacy lives on in the streets, storefronts, and residents of Macon, Georgia. Under his leadership at both Historic Macon Foundation and NewTown Macon, Josh shaped a new future for his Main Street built on innovation and equity.

Josh believed in providing Macon residents with the tools they needed to build wealth and prosperity in their own backyard. At Historic Macon Foundation, he leveraged tax credits not only to restore historic buildings, but also to build a model for sustainable redevelopment. These efforts led Macon to complete more historic tax credit projects than any other Main Street community in the nation.

As President and CEO of NewTown Macon, he expanded this approach with the Developer’s Academy, teaching Maconites to renovate and revitalize income-producing properties.  His leadership also contributed to the formation of Central Georgia’s first and only Community Development Financial Institution, providing capital for housing and small business development.

Under Josh’s stewardship, NewTown Macon catalyzed over $1 billion in public-private investment, growing storefront occupancy from 56% to 89%, creating 830 lofts housing over 1,000 residents, and increasing Black-owned businesses from 18% to 29%. 

Josh Rogers’ leadership, innovation, and ceaseless commitment to equity embodies the spirit of the Mary Means Leadership Award. His legacy is solidified in the foundations of NewTown Macon and into the hearts of everyone who had the privilege to work alongside him. He leaves behind not just a stronger more resilient Main Street, but a stronger, more resilient Main Street movement.