Regional Director
Candace Johnson is the Tourism and Community Development Director at The University of Alabama Center for Economic Development. Before this promotion in 2018, she joined the staff at UACED as the Tourism and Community Development Project Manager in 2012. Candace assists communities in reaching their goals through strategic planning with emphasis on retail development, hospitality, public relations, social media, website design and creative marketing while serving as a liaison to organizations that can assist these communities through various outlets.
Candace’s work experience in public relations and tourism is extensive and includes the communications department of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the corporate administrator and marketing liaison for a four-store retail corporation, The Children Shop, Inc., in Montgomery, the Selma-Dallas County Centre for Commerce, and the Tourism Director for Selma and Dallas County. Through her experiences, she has gained knowledge of what communities need to stay competitive in the global market, as well as how to implement those strategies while working with local government.
Candace has a B.A. in Communication from Auburn University Montgomery.