For Beeville’s new Main Street Program manager, landing a job in Beeville meant coming home.

Michelle Wright actually was born in Robstown and grew up in Mathis, so when her father, Stanley Wright, moved to Beeville as the golf pro at the Beeville Country Club, the move was not terribly upsetting.

Her mother, Zenia, ended up managing the Lemon Tree, a gift shop downtown, and the family settled in comfortably.

Wright already had graduated from Mathis High School in 1974 and enrolled in classes at Bee County College when she got here.

Before she finished, she married and she and her husband moved to Victoria where they owned and operated several businesses, including service stations and a truck stop on the U.S. 59 bypass.

After a divorce, Wright moved herself and her two young children back to Beeville where she returned to Bee County College and resumed her studies.

She took a job with what was then called the Rural Coastal Bend Private Industry Council and stayed with that organization from 1983 until 1992. During that time, she gained considerable experience in writing grant applications and then administering grant programs after the funding was awarded.

“I have more than 20 years of experience in writing grant applications for funds provided by federal and state agencies and private organizations,” Wright said.

She ended up administering child care management services in Victoria for operations throughout the Golden Crescent Area, an operation with an $8 million annual budget.

In 1992, Wright went to work with the Texas Migrant Council after it won the contract for managing the same operations that the Rural Coastal Bend firm had run.

When that company won the contract for the same operations in Victoria County, she became the director of that program.

By 1994, Wright was administering Texas Migrant Council programs in Corpus Christi. She was in charge of a $16 million budget and operations covering a 12-county area.

“I also did a lot of community development and community organizing and did more grant writing,” Wright said.

But in spite of all that success, the single mother remained devoted to her family.

“Probably the job I’m proudest of was being mother to my children,” she said.

“The night I felt the most successful in my life was the night each of my children graduated from high school.”

Her daughter, Reyana, had been a cheerleader all four years and she graduated from A.C. Jones High School in 1996. The next year her son, Austin, graduated.

Both children are in Los Angeles, where Wright worked until this year. Austin has a creative production studio and does work for Disney, AOL, broadcasting networks and advertising firms. Reyana is his business and production manager and she is pursuing work in acting.

The first order of business for the new Main Street manager is getting downtown Beeville cleaned up and spruced up after all the drainage improvement work on North Washington and St. Mary’s streets.

She also wants to start applying for grants and increasing business revenue for the downtown area.

She wants to see new businesses come downtown and more facade improvements funded.

Another important goal is to build consensus among some of the boards and agencies in town.

“I’m interested in getting people to work together,” Wright said.

She is interested in having the Bee County Chamber of Commerce, Bee Development Authority and Coastal Bend College work more closely together.

“I love Beeville. I raised my children here,” Wright said. “I think the opportunities are endless.”

She wants to stimulate more tourism and believes that the new motels, with attractions like the Joe Barnhart Bee County Library, Rialto Theater, Berclair Mansion, Rio 6 theater complex and Beeville Art Museum, could help bring more visitors to the community.

“Beeville is a friendly, warm and welcoming town,” Wright said.

“The Amish community is a huge asset to this county,” she added.

With the Farmers Market growing all the time and great shops downtown, she sees success on the horizon here.

“People are looking for somewhere to move where things are slower and where they can find just a nice place to live.”

Members of the Main Street Advisory Board are happy to see her at work in the office at the Beeville Community Center.

“She should be able to bring some new and innovative ideas to Beeville,” said board president Gilbert Herrera.

“Coming from the West Coast, she’s going to bring the western state philosophy to Beeville,” he said.

Herrera said he is encouraged by Wright’s experience in grant writing and administration. “I think that’ll be vital.”

Board member Susan Stasny was impressed with the tempo and enthusiasm of the first meeting Tuesday evening.

“You’ve got to start working now for the fall,” Stasny said. She was impressed by the reaction of board members and their willingness to volunteer for fall events downtown.

Several board members were especially enthusiastic about Christmas activities this year.

“I’m ready for the fluff,” Stasny said of the progress on the downtown area. Now that much of the work is being completed on the basic improvements, like drainage projects, she is ready to see the area dressed up and made more attractive again.

“I’m looking forward to working with Michelle. I just see it growing,” she said of the Main Street Program.

Stasny is concerned about getting the funding nailed down for the program in the future. But she believes that will come when the organizations that have been providing the money see what has been done so far as a result of Main Street activities.

“It looks like we’ve got a good future. I’m sad about Molly (Young, former Main Street manager) leaving. But I’m glad for an opportunity to go on and move forward. I’m excited about the future.”

“I love my board,” Wright said the day after her first board meeting. “They have a lot of energy and a lot of great ideas.”