Route 66: The Road Ahead update, 12/3/2016 edition

Bill Thomas of the Route 66: The Road Ahead Initiative asked whether regular updates about the group’s activities could be posted on Route 66 News.

I agreed to do so on a monthly or bimonthly basis. Here is the first report, printed in full below the jump (content has been lightly edited).

Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership Granted 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit Status,
Fills Organizational Positions,
and Schedules 1st Board of Directors Meeting

Three years ago, the National Park Service and the World Monuments Fund helped facilitate a meeting of Route 66 stakeholders in Anaheim, California. The result of that meeting was the creation of the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership.

Earlier this summer, the IRS granted the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership 501(c)(3), not-for-profit status. And by late summer, the task of filling the seats on the new organization’s Board of Directors was completed. The board includes representatives from each of the states through which Route 66 runs, as well as the chairmen of the several working groups the Road Ahead has established. Board members include:

• John Miller – Illinois Route 66 Association
• Tommy Pike – Route 66 Association of Missouri
• Renee Charles – Kansas Historic Route 66 Association/Route 66 Association of Kansas
• Brad Nickson – Oklahoma Route 66 Association
• Larry Clonts – Texas Old Route 66 Association
• Cindy Carson – New Mexico Route 66 Association
• Sharlene Fouser – Arizona Route 66 Scenic Byway Program
• Scott Piotrowski – California Historic Route 66 Association
• Bill Kelly – Chair of the Promotion Working Group
• David Bricker – Chair of the Preservation Working Group
• Jeff Fulgenzie – Chair of the Economic Development Working Group
• David Dunaway – Chair of the Research & Education Working Group
• Bill Thomas – Chairman of the Steering Committee

Note: The State Route 66 Associations Working Group has not yet selected a chairperson. As soon as this task is completed, that person will assume a seat on the Board

The first meeting of the newly composed Board of Directors will take place in February in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Among other agenda items, the Board will work to establish by-laws for the Road Ahead organization, discuss the status of efforts to designate Route 66 a National Historic Trail and hear update reports from each of the working groups.

Even though it has taken time to fill the seats on the board of directors, the organization’s several working groups have been actively working on the goals set for them. Future updates will provide status reports on the accomplishments of the working groups.

The mission of the Road Ahead Partnership is to revitalize and sustain Route 66 as a national icon, for the benefit of all Route 66 communities, travelers, and businesses/attractions, through collaborative partnerships focused on promotion, preservation, research/education, and economic development.

More information regarding the Route 66: The Road Ahead Partnership can be found on its website or by contacting Bill Thomas at rt66theroadahead(at)gmail(dot)com.

(Image of the Route 66: The Road Ahead Initiative logo)