Ashley Abruzzo
SpecialityHeritage Tourism Manager for the Crossroads of the American Revolution
Engaging Your Cemetery with Communities for the 250th Anniversary of the USAhe 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution is less than a year away! Are you ready? Last year we discussed how New Jersey’s 250th commemorative organization, Revolution NJ, was getting all New Jerseyans ready for its commemoration period. Across America, state commemorative organizations have been working hard to get their residents prepared for the commemoration as well. Kids, adults, museums, historic sites, and yes, cemeteries, have a role to play. What are cemeteries doing to be involved? How can they better engage with their community? How can cemeteries connect to a broader tourism initiative? All this and more will be discussed in this session.
Ashley Abruzzo grew up in Rockford, IL and has lived in Virginia for the past nine years. She brings experience from the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, the 180-mile corridor from Charlottesville, VA to Gettysburg, PA. As Tourism and Marketing Manager there, she was a liaison for historic sites, DMOs/CVBs, hotels and local businesses across four states and 15 counties and was program manager for the Certified Tourism Ambassador program. More recently, she was Membership Development Manager at the Germanna Foundation in Locust Grove, Virginia. She earned her Masters Degree in Applied History at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania and her Bachelors in History at the University of Illinois at Springfield. www.revolutionarynj.org
