Meet Our Staff
Nicole Christian
President & CEO
nchristian@charlestonareaalliance.org
Nicole is a 26-year veteran of the chamber of commerce and economic development industry. She joined the Alliance as president and CEO in 2021. Her career has afforded her the opportunity to work in a variety of communities and acquire the experience and knowledge beneficial to this role. Nicole believes the Charleston region has big potential, and she’s here to help achieve that potential.
Paula Sims
Executive Assistant
psims@charlestonareaalliance.org
Paula works directly with the President/CEO. She brings a tremendous amount of experience to the Alliance after working 30+ years in the chemical industry and higher education. In addition to working with the President/CEO, Paula assists the staff with various requests, schedules meetings and manages logistics for several Alliance events.
Susie Salisbury
Vice President & Community Development
ssalisbury@charlestonareaalliance.org
Susie leads the Community Development Division for the Alliance and has over 40 years of community development experience. She assists with community planning, project and grant development, leadership development and is very active with many area nonprofits. She holds an MBA and is a certified Economic Development Finance Professional.
Debbie James
Chief Financial Officer
djames@charlestonareaalliance.org
Debbie brings 30+ years of accounting and financial management experience to the Alliance. She is responsible for all aspects of finance for the organization including budgeting, strategy development and implementation, and employee benefits as well as risk management and regulatory compliance.
Andrew “Drew” Dunlap
Director of Economic Development
adunlap@charlestonareaalliance.org
Drew leads the Alliance’s economic development efforts and activities. He is responsible for business recruitment and retention efforts, workforce and entrepreneurial development, and coordination with government and related entities on economic projects. Drew also serves as the Alliance Incubator liaison. Drew has nearly two decades of experience working in the economic development field.
Victoria Russo
New Markets Consultant
vrusso@charlestonareaalliance.org
Victoria supports existing industries in the Kanawha Valley by connecting businesses to resources and potential customers. She helps companies find non-traditional workforce pools and supports a collaborative effort to improve business-to-business transactions within the region.
Erin creates and implements communication strategies and events that advance the Alliance’s mission to create jobs, enhance our community and invest in people.
She is your contact for programs such as Up Next Charlie West, Charleston Roots, Elevations Luncheon’s, and more.
Maria “Ria” Terrell
Administrative Assistant
mterrell@charlestonareaalliance.org
Ria provides administrative support to ensure the efficient operation of the Alliance office. She brings over 15 years of experience from the medical and community development industry.
Maria Belcher
Part-time Community Development Project Coordinator
mbelcher@charlestonareaalliance.org
Maria works directly with our VP of Community Development to plan and implement a variety of programs in our community.