What is your name?

Amanda Ellis

Where do you work and what is your job title?

Editor-in-Chief & Public Relations Lead at Livability Media

How long have you been in economic development?

10+ years

How did you get started in economic development?

I joined the Chattanooga Chamber's marketing communications team right out of college.

Tell us how your community is great.

I love working at Livability because place marketing is interesting, rewarding and tied into so many other interesting topics like relocation and workforce trends. Showing off what makes small and mid-sized cities special not only helps those places grow and hone their messaging, it helps people find that next perfect place to live or visit.

How has being a member of SEDC benefited you?

We've loved being able to engage with SEDC's educational webinars, both leading them and attending them!

What is something you/your organization has accomplished that you are most proud of?

At Livability, we publish many data-driven lists, like our annual Top 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S. (https://livability.com/best-places/top-100-best-places-to-live-in-the-us/), but this year have branched out to some other truly fascinating data-driven topics -- highly recommend checking out our Best Places to Live for Engineers: https://livability.com/topics/education-careers-opportunity/best-cities-for-engineering-jobs-regional-hubs/

What is a current podcast or book you would recommend?

I love a podcast called The Backstory -- the short episodes of about 10 minutes each cover various historical topics you've likely never heard of, or a fresh perspective on topics you already know about.

What is something you do in your free time?

I'm a big reader! I love a good novel, and am also, in keeping with our work promoting cool places, almost always thinking about my next trip to somewhere interesting near or far!