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Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced several administration appointments Feb. 28, including the appointment of Justin G. Reid of Farmville to the board of directors of the Virginia Tourism Authority.

As the Virginia Humanities’ director of Community Initiatives, Justin G. Reid helps develop, fund and promote cultural heritage projects across the state and manages the General Assembly’s African American Cultural Resources (AACR) Task Force.

He previously worked for the Robert Russa Moton Museum, where he supervised the 2013 opening of Moton’s permanent exhibition.

Justin is a graduate of the local Cumberland High School, the Governor’s School of Southside Virginia and the College of William & Mary and was a student co-founder of the William & Mary Lemon Project on history, memory and race.

He currently serves as a board member of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE). He is the son of Martha Sears Reid and George Reid Jr. and the grandson of the late Eva Deane Sears, Wellia Sears, Melrose Randolph Reid and George “Pop” Reid Sr., all of Cumberland; and a member of the Sharon Baptist Church in Cumberland.

“Over the years I’ve gotten to collaborate with Virginia Tourism on several statewide history and culture projects focused on inclusivity and young audiences,” Reid said in reference to being appointed. “I’m excited to continue working with them in this new expanded role.”

He continued, “Tourism promotes health and wellness, lifelong learning, job creation and economic growth. In 2018, Virginia’s tourism industry generated $26 billion in visitor spending. I believe environmentally conscious rural communities are uniquely well-positioned to take advantage of growing interest in sustainable tourism and ecotourism.”

The Virginia Tourism Authority, doing business as the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) is an organization of more than 70 professionals working in Richmond and Welcome Centers throughout Virginia.

VTC’s goals include serving the broader interests of the economy of Virginia by “supporting, maintaining and expanding the commonwealth’s domestic and international inbound tourism and motion picture production industries in order to increase visitor expenditures, tax revenues and employment.”