Abilene CVB
ABILENE — Julie Roller Weeks, Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau director was recently named to Ingram’s Magazine’s list of 50 Kansans You Should Know.
According to the magazine’s March 2023 edition, from agriculture and aviation to zoonotic-disease research, Kansas is awash with companies, universities and non-profit organizations that are pushing the state’s economy forward. In doing so, they elevate the quality of life for nearly 3 million residents. Kansas, it’s been said, is small enough for everyone to know everyone else. Obviously, not true. But here are 50 people who, if you don’t know them, you should know about, because in many ways, they are touching your life today.
Julie Roller Weeks, Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau, Abilene
Although she calls herself a “proud ruby-sneaker-wearing Kansan,” Julie Roller Weeks knows the state has a lot more to offer than just Dorothy and Toto. “We have so many stories to tell,” she said. “Tourism is the most rewarding because all economic development activities start with a visit. Tourism is a value-add to communities, and my goal is to generate economic growth in Abilene through tourism.”
Originally from nearby Woodbine in Dickinson County, she earned her journalism and mass communication degree from Kansas State, then immediately began working to promote Kansas communities—serving as a Main Street director in Augusta, working in economic development in Pottawatomie County, and marketing Kansas products for the Department of Agriculture in Manhattan. Now, she’s back in her home county and leading Abilene’s convention visitors office, a task abetted by the presence of a presidential library. She’s helping the town garner increasingly noteworthy national attention: Destination of the Year by the Midwest Travel Network, Best Historic Small Town by USA TODAY, Friendliest Small Town in the U.S. by TravelAwaits, Best Small Town to Visit by Smithsonian Magazine, and many others. “From Eisenhower to the Chisholm Trail, worldwide entrepreneurs, incredible architecture … we are rich with attractions,” she said. “The goal is to keep Abilene’s name front of mind as a community that’s doing great things. If you’re going to work in tourism in Kansas, Abilene is a shining star!”
See the full list of 50 Kansans You Should Know at: https://ingrams.com/article/50-kansans-you-should-know-5/