Resiliency in Historic Helper

***Register at EventBrite to Reserve Your Spot***

Who better to explore historic Helper, Utah with than the Mayor? Mayor Peterman has been hard at work revitalizing Helper, find out how!

Helper, a small rural town in southeastern Utah, has utilized a number of tools to revitalize its historic Main Street and the surrounding area. Tools include change management, community involvement and creative funding strategies to restore pride in a town in decline due to the single economic driver of coal. Get a glimpse of how meaningful change occurred while maintaining historic integrity to build a better future.

About Our Speaker: Mayor Lenise Peterman

Lenise Peterman graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in sociology from the University of Southwestern Louisiana. Her work background is extensively tied to the litigation support industry, and she has worked with companies such as General Motors, Ford Company, Dow Chemical Company, and Exxon. She previously served the community as Helper Arts, Music and Film Festival co-director and Helper Revitalization Committee Co-Chair. Entering her second term as mayor in 2022, she continues to focus on those areas previously determined during the Sustainable Design Assessment in 2017. Her skills include documentation strategies, process definition, organization, creative problem-solving, and grant writing. Those skills have led to more than $8 million dollars in grant funding, which has been distributed across Helper City for Main Street restoration and beautification; river restoration, water infrastructure and more. She has participated extensively with Carbon County as well, chairing the Carbon Tax Advisory Board and delivering projects such as kiosks, wayfinding and the Carbon Power Plant memorial. Mayor Peterman’s objective for the city is to create a sustainable community via its historic, artistic and recreational assets and to bring the community together.