Corsicana City Manager Connie Standridge has announced the appointment of Lauren Bedsole to the position of Main Street and Tourism Director, after the Corsicana City Council confirmed the recommendation in a Special Session on Friday, Oct. 18. Bedsole, a familiar face in Corsicana, is originally from East Texas and has lived or worked in Corsicana for about three years in various positions including Across the Street Bistro, the Corsicana Police Department, work in television and film production as well as two special events featuring Lefty Frizzell. She has assisted in the production of the video efforts for Small Business Revolution, the City’s Chiefs for a Day program with Corsicana ISD, Corsicana Fire Rescue Annual Banquet, National Night Out, conducted presentations on the importance of the film industry to the City of Corsicana, and programs on the City’s Public Safety programs. She has worked on numerous sets of movies and television shows in the County in both scouting and production, giving her a keen understanding of both the city and county assets. “I am so honored to have the opportunity to build on the momentum we have seen in Corsicana in recent years,” said Bedsole. “The people of our city have what is in my experience a unique ability to not only be passionate about their own interests, but also equally supportive of their friends, colleagues & fellow residents.” Prior to her move to Corsicana, Bedsole worked in various media and communications firms throughout the world in news, television and media production, editorial and training. She specializes in start-up companies and has a broad range of knowledge within the communications industry. In her role with the City of Corsicana, Bedsole will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Main Street Director, creating events to drive business to the Historic Downtown area and managing the Visitor Services component. In addition, she will manage the efforts of boards and organizations involved in the ongoing historic preservation of Corsicana. Among her experience is her role in the Chiswick House and Garden Estate in London, an 18th century villa and walled garden providing educational programs for inner-city children on the notion of farm-to-table sustainability. In her Tourism role, she will support the efforts of the Corsicana Visitors Bureau’s ongoing marketing and advertising efforts to entice Texas travelers to visit Corsicana while managing the City’s promotional efforts for annual events to increase attendance and overnight stays, and developing new strategies for showcasing the city’s arts, attractions, experiences and special places. She launched and maintains the consumer-facing Instagram account for www.visitcorsicana.com – which is corsicanatx, and encourages everyone to connect and suggest content to reach visitors. Lauren Bedsole is a graduate of Duke University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Public Policy, and Minor in Religion (2004) and holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from City University in London, England (2007). In addition, she received her ESL Teaching Certificate from Duke University (2005) and completed courses in Counterterrorism from Duke University, Business Foundations from the University of Pennsylvania and Foreign Policy Analysis from the London School of Economics. She can be reached at lbedsole@ci.corsicana.tx.us or 903-654-4851.