Marci Ross planned and initiated the first Maryland Department of Commerce Office of Tourism Development federal funding strategy. She reviews and updates this strategy annually, researching federal funding opportunities to determine internal and stakeholder applicability, performing stakeholder outreach to identify and build collaborations, leveraging opportunities for cash or in-kind match equity, identifying and resolving challenges and obstacles, and providing technical assistance throughout the strategy lifecycle. This strategy resulted in a database of federal and state funding sources that advances tourism marketing and destination development. Marci is a subject matter expert for multiple federal and state grant programs, including Transportation Enhancement/Alternatives Programs, National Scenic Byways, Recreational Trails, Bikeways/Safe Routes to School, and the National Park Service, to name a few.

Her successes include a 100% application success rate and a long-term stream of funding to execute nationally recognized initiatives such as the Harriet Tubman All-American Road, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park, and the Great Chesapeake Bay Loop. She was able to strategically align federal, state, and local federal funding priorities, enhance quality of life through economic and community development, and promote social and economic empowerment in multiple unserved and underserved communities and businesses throughout Maryland. Marci also brings relevant strategic planning experience in leveraging federal funds to meet immediate and future needs and to engage the private sector. Her work on the Chesapeake Bay Storytellers project is an example. This workforce development project was implemented to help working watermen and women augment their traditional livelihoods when federal and state regulations limited their aquacultural businesses.

Her strategic planning process included an economic and regulatory environmental scan, a stakeholder business and capacity analysis, internal and external collaboration to develop and implement the federal funds approach from pre-award through post-award, project management based on goals and objectives, a timeline with deadlines, deliverables, and performance metrics, and qualitative and quantitative final reporting. Results to date include 60 trained “storytellers,” a call-to-action by watermen and women for more training, and the award of a second federal grant for the implementation of Phase II training. Marci is a skilled proposal and grant writer. Her writing approach includes a tactical work breakdown structure that leads to on-time and on-scope application delivery.

The work breakdown structure she developed can be utilized individually and in collaboration by multiperson grant writing teams. This approach was successfully utilized in the Elevating the Outdoors in Western Maryland grant application to the federal Appalachian Regional Commission. The work breakdown structure supported a collaborative grant application from six stakeholder groups, including the Maryland Department of Commerce, the Maryland Office of Tourism, and the economic development and tourism offices of Garrett and Allegany counties. Ms. Ross is also part of the post-award implementation team, providing expertise to develop the strategy to attract outdoor recreation and lifestyle manufacturers to the region.