Shirley Baylis has been with the City of Decatur 13+ years, with a background in Human Resources, she wrote, developed and managed the city’s employee wellness program for 4 years. She moved into the Economic Development Department as the Special Event Coordinator in 2016, and worked closely with local non-profits to put on some of the city’s largest events such as the Decatur Book Festival, Arts Festival, and Tiny Home Festival.
Shirley is currently the Business Development Manager, managing the restaurant and retail recruitment and retention, the city’s Mobile Food Vendor program, film productions and a number of other projects in the city. She along with the Visitor Center Manager, manage the development of marketing for Tourism, Restaurant and Retail.
Shirley serves as a city staff representative on the Decatur Book Festival Board, Decatur Downtown Development Authority, and Decatur Business Association representing the interest of the city’s restaurant and retail businesses.
Shirley recently earned her Tourism Marketing Professional certification through Southeast Tourism Society Marketing College, and currently pursuing an Economic Development Certification through University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson as well as her Project Management Certification through Emory University Continuing Education.
Shirley also served as area expert in special events and downtown business engagement on the Georgia Economic Development Tourism Product Team 2018-20.