SEYMOUR MAIN STREET LEADERSHIP

Executive Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Get to Know our Leadership

Jaylyn Stam - Executive Director
Associated with Seymour Main Street since 2024

• How would you describe our mission? Seymour Main Street’s mission is all about bringing our downtown to life. We’re focused on making it a place where businesses grow, people connect, and our town’s history is celebrated.
• What made you decide to give your first gift of time, talent, or treasure to our organization? I got involved with Seymour Main Street because I care about our community, and I want our downtown to thrive and be a place that future generations can enjoy and be proud of. Seeing the impact this organization has on our town made it an easy decision.
• What aspects of our work interest you the most? I love how Seymour Main Street blends economic growth with community spirit and historic preservation. It’s exciting to be part of something that brings people together while also celebrating what makes our town special.
• What is your favorite program/service/etc.? My favorite thing is the downtown events. They really bring our community together and give local businesses a boost while showing off the charm of our town.
• How do you describe this organization to others? I tell people that Seymour Main Street is all about making our downtown a vibrant, welcoming place. It’s an organization that is about preserving our town’s history while also ensuring that it continues to grow and evolve for the future.
• What do you wish everyone knew about this cause? I wish everyone knew how important it is to support Seymour Main Street. Supporting this cause means investing in the future of our town, making sure it stays a great place to live, work, and visit for generations to come.

Jordan Richart - Seymour Main Street Board of Directors
Public Relations Manager at the Jackson County Visitor Center
Associated with Seymour Main Street as a Board member since 2022

• How did you first hear about our organization? My first professional job was with the Jackson County Banner in 2011, and one of my first assignments (third day on the job) was covering an open house of a downtown building that Seymour Main Street had renovated.
• How would you describe our mission? What does our mission and cause mean to you? I would describe Seymour Main Street’s mission as working to revitalize our downtown with an emphasis on helping curate economic development to move our organization and community forward. This means a lot to me because this is my home, and I want to see our downtown prosper, be preserved, and serve as an enjoyable place for families, residents, and visitors.
• What made you decide to give your first gift of time, talent, or treasure to our organization? I believe my generation needs to do its part in leading organizations and moving our community forward.
• What aspects of our work interest you the most? The events we offer.
• What is your favorite program/service/etc.? City Jam and Ghouls & Goblets.
• How do you describe this organization to others? One where you will be part of something that is fun and important.
• What do you wish everyone knew about this cause? There’s a real opportunity to make an impact on our community, whether it’s supporting events, businesses, preservation of buildings or building relationships.

Leah Branaman
Accountant and Owner of Mann Bookkeeping & Tax Service Inc.
Associated with Seymour Main Street as a Board member since 2019

• How did you first hear about our organization? I first heard of Seymour Main Street when the organization hired a full-time Executive Director who began promoting the organization.
• How would you describe our mission? Seymour Main Street’s mission is to promote, preserve, and protect the downtown area by turning our main community hub back into a place of destination.
• What does our mission and cause mean to you? I did not grow up in Seymour. I graduated from the county rivalry of Brownstown Central. However, I do remember coming downtown as a child with my mom to VonDielingen’s Shoe Store (Now Fussy Pup) to purchase new shoes every year before school. I remember the creaks in the floors as you walked around to shop, and the sales person who measured my foot and had me walk up and down the store to see how the shoes felt. Although I didn’t understand the value of shopping locally as a kid, I do remember feeling special because a local business owner took pride in his store and valued customer service. As an adult, I want to make sure that local business owners still have that opportunity to make a difference in their community.
• What made you decide to give your first gift of time, talent, or treasure to our organization? Having a vested interest in downtown made me want to learn more about SMS, and provided me a way to network with other downtown businesses. I want to make sure that local business owners still have that opportunity to make a difference in their community.
• What aspects of our work interest you the most? I enjoy looking at the function, process, and purpose of a business/organization in order to find new ways of being efficient and effective, which is why I enjoy serving on Seymour Main Street’s Organization Committee.
• What is your favorite program/service/etc.? I enjoy Jingle All the 5k and Dancing with the Stars, as well as Seymour Main Street’s City Jam concert series. My weeknights and weekends are very busy right now as my son plays high school sports, but I do enjoy walking around downtown during the business day to window shop and watch building and storefront transformations.
• How do you describe this organization to others? I would describe this organization as a support system for those who want to pursue and support entrepreneurship.
• What do you wish everyone knew about this cause? I wish everyone knew that the organization does not just serve businesses. Seymour Main Street wants to provide a connection between downtown businesses and friends, families, and visitors.

Brian Terrell
Occupation:Human Resource Rep for Aisin USA Mfg. Inc (26 years)
Associated with Seymour Main Street as a Board member since 2017

• How did you first hear about our organization? I first heard about SMS when I was on the Boy’s and Girl’s Club Board, and our organization and Seymour Main Street teamed up and started the Dancing with the Seymour Stars special event fundraiser.
• How would you describe our mission? What does our mission and cause mean to you? Seymour Main Street supports our local Downtown Businesses by bringing people into the Downtown area via events and other promotions. SMS also supports these businesses through grants and low interest loans.
• What made you decide to give your first gift of time, talent, or treasure to our organization? I was planning to run across the state of Indiana, and I contacted SMS’s previous Executive Director to see if we could make my run a fundraiser for SMS. I proposed the idea of the “Downtown Discount Card”, and we went on to raise around $3,000 selling the cards to support my run. While organizing this fundraiser the previous Executive Director asked me to serve on the Promotions Committee.              
• What aspects of our work interest you the most? Supporting our local Downtown Businesses in a variety of ways.
• What is your favorite program/service/etc.? The events that we host!
• How do you describe this organization to others? A strong and thriving Downtown is necessary to create a strong and vibrant community. Seymour Main Street’s mission of planning, promoting, and preserving Seymour, Indiana’s historic downtown area aligns with making this possible.
• What do you wish everyone knew about this cause? Seymour Main Street does so much to give back and support our historic downtown and local businesses via special grants and loans and our events are also created to bring people into the downtown area and drive traffic to our local businesses. Also, Bri and Shaney are Awesome and great at what they do! ?

Name: Melody Hageman
Community volunteer, Secretary of the Main Street Board and Chair of the SMS Design Committee.
Associated with Seymour Main Street as a Board member since 2012/13

• How did you first hear about our organization? My sister served on the Main Street Design Committee, and I took over her spot.
• How would you describe our mission? I would describe our mission as protecting and preserving the buildings and businesses downtown and assisting businesses and the city any way we can to promote a healthy economic environment, and vibrant social gathering spaces.  What does our mission and cause mean to you?  I believe the downtown to be the historic CORE of our City and it is important to protect and nurture it.
• What made you decide to give your first gift of time, talent, or treasure to our organization? I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s during an era when Downtown Seymour was vibrant and flourishing—no empty buildings, bustling commerce, and downtown was the hub for shopping, dining and entertainment. As with other historic communities, there were a few years of decline, but in recent years there is revived interest in making our downtown what it could and should be – a place for professional businesses, retail stores, farmers’ markets and cultural events.  The younger citizens are recognizing the fact that a vibrant downtown is critical to the growth and health of the city. I find this movement exciting and wanted to be a part of Seymour Main Street’s important mission to protect the integrity and history of our downtown and create a thriving “hub” for the Seymour community.
• What aspects of our work interest you the most? As Chair of the Design Committee, my focus is the aesthetics of downtown – creating an attractive and safe environment, while preserving the integrity of the historic buildings. We are currently working on a Streetscape that will enhance walkability, provide a more cohesive look downtown, enforce codes, and create a framework to guide future development.  I am excited to see all that come to fruition.
• What is your favorite program/service/etc. I enjoy City Jam. It’s a fun concert series that is free and open to all to enjoy.  The music is quality entertainment, and the environment is friendly and relaxing.
• How do you describe this organization to others? We are part of a larger statewide and national organization intent on creating a downtown that Is economically viable and aesthetically pleasing. We do this by offering incentives and loans to businesses, promoting events to benefit the community and bring people downtown and by assisting the city in choosing pleasing design elements for the downtown.  Our board is diverse and representative of many areas of business.
• What do you wish everyone knew about this cause? Having a vibrant downtown does not happen overnight. There are many moving parts and Seymour Main Street and the City of Seymour must work closely together to accomplish our common goals.  There are many variables that prevent us from being able to transform our downtown overnight, but with persistence, passion and community support, we are confident we can transform Downtown Seymour and create a city center for which our community can be proud.

• How did you first hear about our organization? My brother-in-law, former Mayor Craig Luedeman, used to rave about the outcomes of Seymour Main Street’s efforts and how everywhere he visited throughout the state someone was always bringing up how Seymour’s Downtown was on the rise because of the organization. My good friend, former president of Main Street Tom Goecker, would tell me how the organization was so well aligned with the results City Officials and residents expected from the downtown. That motivated me to begin learning more and to get plugged in!
• How would you describe our mission? What does our mission and cause mean to you? To plan, promote, and preserve downtown is one way to ensure the seamless intersection of celebrating our past and embracing our future. This to me is vital to a rural community’s ability to reflect, recover, reimagine, and be resilient. All these things are why I serve and support SMS.
• What made you decide to give your first gift of time, talent, or treasure to our organization? It is very apparent that the work of Seymour Main Street has been making a difference throughout our community but especially Downtown. This has been what motivates me to give as much as I am able to this organization. There is evidence that shows a vibrant downtown sparks economic revival by strengthening community assets and locally owned small businesses, which leads to further quality of life enhancements throughout the community. Community partners have shared that their private investments thrive when public spaces are enhanced, and public events are activated. These are important piece of what Seymour Main Street does in our small town.
• What aspects of our work interest you the most? I have thoroughly enjoyed playing a part in developing the vision of our Downtown. Gathering feedback from patrons, both residents and visitors, then taking that feedback and developing specific outcomes is extremely satisfying.
• What is your favorite program/service/etc.? My favorite events are the ones where Seymour Main Street comes together to cut a ribbon of a new Downtown establishment. This means that someone has taken a chance, invested in our downtown, and is joining several outstanding merchants that have walked in their path once before. It symbolizes that they are joining a special group of tried-and-true small business owners who aim to please their patrons each time they turn that $4 sign from Closed to Open. Downtown is one of those special places, made up of special people, doing special things for our rural community.
• How do you describe this organization to others? I usually tell folks it’s the “Fun Hub” of all the happening things.
• What do you wish everyone knew about this cause? I wish more folks knew how much volunteer time and effort feeds into the outstanding results of this Nationally Accredited non-profit organization. Seymour Main Street is delivering such high-quality plans and promotions that folks from around the country are taking notice. All of that happening right here from the Crossroads of Southern Indiana. 

• How did you first hear about our organization? Through social media
• How would you describe our mission? What does our mission and cause mean to you? To me our mission is to make Seymour’s downtown a thriving place where businesses can succeed, and citizens can enjoy.
• What made you decide to give your first gift of time, talent, or treasure to our organization? I am a huge believer in downtown revitalization and supporting local owned and small businesses.
• What aspects of our work interest you the most? The support of local businesses and making the downtown a more aesthetically pleasing place to be.
• What is your favorite program/service/etc.? Our downtown events such as Happy Glamper, Ghouls and Goblets, etc.
• How do you describe this organization to others? An organization focused on making Seymour’s downtown area a place where people want to be.
• What do you wish everyone knew about this cause? That there are many people that care about this cause and that our leadership and committee members put a lot of time and effort to make Seymour’s downtown a better place.

Name: Tyler Kimbrell
Occupation: Cummins, Inc. Supply Continuity Manager & Plant Integrator
Involved with Seymour Main Street since 2022

• How did you first hear about our organization? Attending events in the Downtown (i.e. Downtown Trick or Treat, Downtown Shop Around, etc.)
• How would you describe our mission? What does our mission and cause mean to you? An organization aimed at revitalizing Seymour’s historic downtown, supporting local business development, and partner to bring the community together.
• What made you decide to give your first gift of time, talent, or treasure to our organization? I grew up in Seymour and spent a lot of time downtown as a child. The downtown has went through many ups and downs throughout the years and seeing it on the upswing is very comforting to see. I see SMS as an integral part to keeping the trajectory of revitalization and ensuring we have a sustained downtown for years to come.
• What aspects of our work interest you the most? Being on the Organization Committee is all about ensuring we have the tools, processes, and people available to make SMS successful. Some of these processes involved adding an additional SMS staff person, switching to a new database that will be utilized across the state of Indiana, are some of the exciting things we have recently worked on.
• What is your favorite program/service/etc.? I think the grant program to assist local downtown businesses is very important. And my new favorite event is Seymour Main Street’s Bourbon Pour ?.
• How do you describe this organization to others? An organization aimed at revitalizing Seymour’s historic downtown, supporting local business development, and partner to bring the community together.
• What do you wish everyone knew about this cause? That SMS truly cares about preserving downtown through supporting local businesses, cultivating events that bring the community together, and financially supporting improvements in the downtown.

Name: Jessica Nierman
Occupation: Manager Administration
Involved with Seymour Main Street since 2013

• How did you first hear about our organization? I have had visibility to Seymour Main Street due to me being a lifelong resident of Jackson County. I have also had additional insight into what SMS is all about, and how much of a positive impact it has on our downtown area, and the community we live in, due to my specific line of work.
• How would you describe our mission? What does our mission and cause mean to you? I believe a big part of our mission at SMS is to preserve the downtown area, enhance connections for all members of the community, and create a place for small businesses to thrive. Most importantly, SMS is about giving the community a sense of local pride and a reason to be excited about what the downtown area has to offer.
• What made you decide to give your first gift of time, talent, or treasure to our organization? After hearing what SMS was all about and the opportunities to preserve the downtown area, along with the positive impact SMS has on the community, it sparked my interest, and I knew I wanted to be a part of enhancing the downtown area.
• What aspects of our work interest you the most? The Historic preservation of the downtown area.
• What is your favorite program/service/etc.? My favorite program is probably the Dancing with the Stars charity event. With this event, we bring together many community members, and raise funds for two great organizations, for a great cause. 
• How do you describe this organization to others? SMS is an organization that continues to work towards historic preservation for the downtown area and allows for the community members to connect and small businesses to be successful. The organization focuses their efforts on revitalizing the economy, appearance, and image of their downtown.
• What do you wish everyone knew about this cause? I think it’s important for community members to know about the work and effort that is being put into preserving the downtown area and how leaders work towards ensuring the downtown area continues to flourish.

Dan Anderson
Occupation: Senior Vice President/ Chief Wealth Management Officer
Involved with Seymour Main Street since 2019

• How did you first hear about our organization? JCBank and DWTS
• How would you describe our mission? What does our mission and cause mean to you? Continuing renewal and development of downtown Seymour. Improving the offerings to the community to provide a higher quality of life.
• What made you decide to give your first gift of time, talent, or treasure to our organization? Working at JCBank and seeing first-hand the difference that SMS makes in the community.
• What aspects of our work interest you the most? Downtown revitalization
• What is your favorite program/service/etc.? Economic vitality and seeing the differences that grants make for business owners.
• How do you describe this organization to others? An organization that cares deeply about its community.
• What do you wish everyone knew about this cause? The primary objective is to improve the overall quality of life in Seymour and beyond.

• County of Residence: Jackson County
• Years associated with our organization: Recently joined Seymour Main Street design committee in the fall of 2023.
• How did you first hear about our organization? I have always been acquainted with Seymour Main Street and my understanding of it deepened when I joined the workforce of Greemann’s Furniture, a local establishment that has been an integral part of the downtown area for numerous years.
• How would you describe our mission? What does our mission and cause mean to you? Seymour Main Street’s mission is to advocate for the preservation and protection of our downtown. I am thrilled to contribute to this important cause, as I deeply appreciate the charm and potential that our downtown area holds. Having personally experienced the advantages of being part of a Historical District, I played a key role in securing national landmark status for our Boulevard neighborhood and the Walnut Street District.
• What made you decide to give your first gift of time, talent, or treasure to our organization? Upon being invited to join Seymour Main Street, I immediately recognized the opportunity to contribute my skillfulness and perspectives on downtown design, given my affiliations with Indiana Landmarks and Greemann’s Furniture.
• What aspects of our work interest you the most? In my role as design chair, my primary focus lies in enhancing the downtown area to make it more attractive to both current and new businesses and the general public.
• What is your favorite program/service/etc.? I am eagerly anticipating the preservation aspects that Seymour’s historical buildings can potentially offer.
• How do you describe this organization to others? Seymour main Street endeavors to uphold the downtown historic preservation standard while fostering the triumph of small businesses and promoting community members’ interactions.
• What do you wish everyone knew about this cause? Volunteers at Seymour Main Street work hard to support Seymour’s downtown. They want to see it thrive and they value the community’s support.