T he Moore County Historical Society will meet March 8, 2026 at 2 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge in Lynchburg. The speaker will be Ryan French and the topic will be “The current situation of tourism in Tennessee and the nation”. . He will also discuss the Whiskey Trail Program. The meeting is open to the public and all are welcome. For further information contact Michael Northcutt at mbncutt@yahoo.com or phone 931434-5797 or George Stone a georgestone@cafes.net or phone 931-581-2621.

Ryan French is the Executive Director and CEO of the South Central Tennessee Tourism Association (SCTTA), the organization behind the forward-facing brand Experience Tennessee. Since 2020, he has led regional tourism efforts across 13 counties, strengthening partnerships with more than 20 local DMOs and launching initiatives such as the Tennessee Whiskey Trailhead Welcome Center and the Tourism Ready program. Under his leadership, SCTTA was named Tennessee’s Small Budget DMO of the Year in 2024, and Ryan was honored as the state’s DMO Director of the Year.

A 2004 graduate of Moore County High School, Ryan is a graduate of the Southeast Tourism Society’s Marketing College and holds the designation of Tourism Marketing Professional (TMP). He is passionate about leveraging cultural and heritage tourism to drive economic growth, preserve community identity, and create meaningful visitor experiences across Tennessee.