Speaker Bio: Frances Jo Hamilton

Director of Revitalization, Heritage Ohio

Frances Jo Hamilton has a background in Art, Education, Ministry, Lighting Design and Drafting.  She is a Delaware, Ohio native and began her career with the Ohio Main Street Program as a volunteer.  Hamilton spent nearly 7 years volunteering for Main Street Delaware as tour guide, committee member, committee chair person and board member before being offered the position of Executive Director in 2007.  During her time as Executive Director, Main Street Delaware has consistently achieved national accreditation from the Nation Trust for Historic Preservation and has received statewide recognition for a successful program.  Aside from her position at Main Street Delaware, Inc., Frances has a heart for prisoner reentry. In 2013 she founded a reentry non-profit organization, ReStart- A Work Release Advocacy Program, in Delaware County to assist female offenders in their reentry into the work force following incarceration. Frances’ primary focus is on social justice issues and downtown revitalization; bringing community together in many ways. In 2016, Frances accepted the Director of Revitalization position with Heritage Ohio, the state-wide the program which oversees the Ohio’s Main Street Programs under the National Main Street Center and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.