Mary Beth Brownlee serves as the Director of One Valdosta-Lowndes, a public-private
partnership of the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners, the City of Valdosta, the
Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority, the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber
of Commerce, Valdosta State University, SGMC Health, and Georgia Power Company
dedicated to creating foundational change and economic growth opportunity for all of
Lowndes County. Mary Beth provides executive leadership to One Valdosta-Lowndes (OVL) regarding the
collaborative’s investment priorities: Civic Engagement and Leadership, Pathway to Prosperity, and Vibrant and Safe
Community.
Prior to joining OVL, Mary Beth served as a member of the County Consulting Services team with the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) to support all of Georgia’s 159 counties on issues related to community and economic development, planning for growth, broadband deployment, strategic planning, general facilitation, and leadership development.
Mary Beth previously held the position of Executive Director of the One Sumter Economic Development Foundation in Americus, Georgia, where she continues to serve on the Board of Directors. During her tenure at One Sumter, the organization has raised $4.9 million dollars—parlaying those financial commitments into an additional $43 million in capital investments throughout Sumter County.
Before leading One Sumter, Mary Beth previously served as public service faculty at the University of Georgia’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development and the Archway Partnership, and as the City of Perry’s first Economic Development Director.
With a dedication to workforce readiness, she played an integral role in the launch of the Ignite College & Career Academy in Americus, Georgia; and continues to serve as the Workforce Innovation Network (WIN) Regional College & Career Academy Steering Committee Chair and member of WIN’s Board of Directors in Valdosta. Mary Beth is also honored to serve on the Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Foundation South’s Board of Directors.
Holding a Master of Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration in Urban Management and Policy from
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Mary Beth received her AB in Political Science from the University of Georgia. She is a graduate of the 2025 class of Leadership Georgia and the 2024 class of Leadership Lowndes. She currently serves as Chair of the South GeorgiaLEADS Board of Directors, Vice-Chair of Girls on the Run South Georgia & Coastal Low Country, Secretary of the One Sumter Economic Development Foundation, and as a board member for Historic Valdosta.
She is a founding member of the South Georgia Women’s Leadership Initiative and serves on the Valdosta State University’s Public Administration Advisory Committee, and the South Georgia Diversity Committee of the Greater Valdosta United Way. Mary Beth previously served on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Academy for Economic Development, the University of Georgia’s Community Housing & Research Center, and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ PlanFirst Review Committee.
She and her husband Joe have a six-year-old daughter Elizabeth and attend the First Methodist Church of Valdosta.