THE WILLIAMSON WOMAN

Chris Canterbury

President, Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce

SUPERPOWER: Creating opportunity

Chris Canterbury believes in her state and community, and she uses every possible resource to help her lifetime home of Mingo County grow, prosper, and be reflected in a positive light.

Her current focus is The Collective Retail & Artisan Shops, a business incubator/retail co-op. The program was initiated by the Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce, for which Canterbury has served as president since 2019. Several businesses are set up in the lobby space of First National Bank, including her own business, CC Coffee and Tea Interest.

Canterbury served as coordinator of the internet-based blog “Williamson Forward,” a grant-funded program highlighting people, places, businesses, and positive happenings. “My narrative is to tell our story in a positive manner—to take our story back and turn it around, redirecting it towards growth and progress and the good people here,” she says.

Canterbury serves on the board of directors for the Williamson Health and Wellness Center, engaging in efforts ranging from the Williamson Farmers Market to reopening Williamson Memorial Hospital after its 2020 closure. She also serves on the board of directors for the hospital and was formerly president of General Federation of Women’s Clubs’ West Virginia Williamson Woman’s Club.

Many community members have served as mentors and provided inspiration, but once she became a mom, Canterbury was truly driven to make her community a better place. “I wanted to help our young people feel they don’t need to leave,” she says. “This is home, and you can work to make it better.”

Canterbury serves as advisor for the Mingo County Youth Leadership Association, a local chapter of the larger YLA. She is also part of an effort to bring new programs to the Williamson campus of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, including hospitality tourism, small business ownership and management, and a power sports program.

WRITTEN BY JULIE PERINE

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Since 2014 WV Living magazine has been honoring West Virginia Wonder Women, amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. WV Living is proud to celebrate these Appalachian mothers, millennials, and mavens proving that in a time full of uncertainty, divisiveness, and hate, love for one another is all we really need. No need for bulletproof bracelets or a golden lasso of truth—these women are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.