After more than 8 years, leadership is changing hands at the nonprofit Winston-Salem Ambassadors.
Founder Mackenzie Cates-Allen, who served as President from its founding in October of 2016 until October of 2024, is happily handing over the reins to Deanna Debrecht, of Winston-Salem.
Debrecht is thrilled to take on the role of Acting Executive Director for the Ambassadors. She has lived in Winston-Salem since 2012, and loves the richness of Winston-Salem’s history and diversity. She became involved with the Winston-Salem Ambassadors in 2023 and joined the Board shortly thereafter. Debrecht is a 2024 graduate of the Leadership Winston-Salem Flagship program, and continues to learn about and sink her roots into this city that she loves. She looks forward to continuing the mission of the Ambassadors by welcoming all and sharing her love for Winston-Salem.
Cates-Allen has officially joined the Board of Directors and will serve for at least a year, as all the changes are implemented. “I am so happy to have served as the Inaugural President of this amazing nonprofit, and could not be happier to have such an amazing, delightful person to take over.”
WS Ambassadors Board Chairperson Joey Watkins says, “I am excited about Deanna taking over as our Executive Officer and also thrilled to have Mackenzie continue to have a presence with the organization.”
The WS Ambassadors run the Winston-Salem Holiday Parade, host tours and Monthly Meetups around all 8 Wards of the city throughout the year, and host Welcome to Winston-Salem Orientations for discovery and re-discovery of all aspects of the City. They serve as cheerleaders and Ambassadors for all the best parts of Winston-Salem, through their Ambassadorship Program. The Ambassadors Annual Meeting will be held 4/12/25 at the Salem Lake Marina at 1:30pm.
For more information, you can go to their website at http://www.wsambassadors.org, visit them at 420 N. Cherry St, or check the social media outlets Facebook, and Instagram (@wsambassadors.)
Though temperatures had dropped to the low 40s, thousands of people showed up for Winston-Salem’s annual holiday parade through downtown Saturday evening.
A group of 90 entries participated in the annual parade this year, which began at 5 p.m. at Fourth Street at Poplar Street, and led to the city’s Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at 6:30 p.m. in Corpening Plaza off West First Street.
Dozens lined up on Fourth Street with more than half an hour until 5 p.m. to get their spot along the parade route. As the sun set, parade-watchers huddled into their chairs with blankets and cups of hot cocoa.
The temperature remained cold through the evening, with a wind occasionally sweeping through the downtown area to chill the crowd.
Fan favorite floats such as the ReMax balloon, the Burlington Flotilla, and the Pizza Planet Truck from Toy Story returned to the parade, much to the delight of onlookers.
Although university marching bands were busy with final exams, more than 15 high school and private bands showed up and showed out during the event.
Bill and Pat Campbell, whose son Brent Campbell served as deputy marshal of the parade, said they came out for their first parade in a long time to support their grandsons, who play tuba and percussion in their high school band.
“We’re both retired educators,” Bill Campbell said. “We love seeing young people be so talented.”
Syrita Robinson, and her daughter, Rosa, watched the parade and waited for her other daughter Summer, who was part of a 50-member step team.
Robinson said Summer was a little bit of an introvert until she tried the step team, where she made a lot of friends and found herself looking forward to the parade.
Rosa, who plays piccolo at Parkland High School, found her favorite part of the parade to be the Parkland High School marching band performance.
Jennifer Ginsburg and her daughter, Ava, carted along a supply of bubble blowing guns and swirling lights to sell for the Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance.
“It’s the time of the year where everyone can come together and celebrate something positive,” Jennifer Ginsburg said when asked what made the holiday parade unique.
“I remember when we couldn’t celebrate during COVID-19,” said Karen Coston, another member of the Theatre Alliance. “It’s so freeing now.”
Lee Beeck, a Yadkinville resident who came to the parade with his best friend, Melinda Hall, set up shop outside of Washington Perk on Fourth Street and livestreamed the parade for those who couldn’t make it out to the festivities.
“I like to see people happy,” Beeck said. Beeck added that he had already made it to holiday parades in Yadkinville and Pilot Mountain, both of which he had livestreamed on Facebook.
Although it was Beeck’s first time at Winston-Salem’s holiday parade, the biggest personal draw to the event for him was a specific character he knew would show up.
“I came to see the Grinch, he’s my favorite,” Beeck said. “Somebody’s got to like the bad guy.”
Holiday parade
This was the second year that the Winston-Salem Ambassadors, a nonprofit organization that promotes the city, have run the parade celebration.
Previously, for 32 years, the Winston-Salem Jaycees sponsored the parade, until the group dissolved in 2023 because of its declining membership.
Mackenzie Cates Allen, the organization’s founder and parade organizer, said that she was also involved with the Jaycees in the past prior to taking over leadership of the event.
“It’s just such a beloved community event,” Cates Allen said.
Before the Winston-Salem Ambassadors took over organization of the parade, Cates Allen said she heard that residents of the city wanted to see more representation of different holidays during the event.
Now the annual parade celebrates five major holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, Winter Solstice, and Kwanzaa.
“Christmas is welcome and celebrated, but it is a holiday parade,” Cates Allen said.
For the first year in the parade’s history, Santa Titus, who also goes by the name “Hop the Black Santa”, marched in the event as the first ever Black Santa Claus.
Although there were some negative social media comments about Santa Titus, by and large the response to the first Black Santa Claus was overwhelmingly positive, Cates Allen said.
We are ALL about people, and connecting people, here at the #wsambassadors.
Today we have the truly awesome Vernetta DeVane.
1. What’s your name, and what do you do?
•Vernetta DeVane. I have been working with the City of Winston-Salem for nearly 27 years. I was the Victim Assistance Coordinator for 10 years with WSPD and the remainder of my time has been spent as a Community Assistance Liaison. In that role I support the Council Member for the South Ward. I am major part of that work is assisting in addressing community member’s issues, concerns and suggestions.
2. What’s your history?
•Winston-Salem is home for me. I was born and raised here. I graduated from NC State and came back home. While I am assigned to assist in the South Ward, I care about Winston-Salem as a whole.
3. WHY do you do what you do?
•I honestly enjoy what I do. I have a Master’s in Conflict Resolution so finding answers is my jam. I love helping and being a problem solver. While my answer can’t always be yes to a question, you can rest assured I have researched the answer and can explain why.
4. What’s your favorite part about Winston-Salem?
•I would say it’s Winston-Salem’s charm. We are big enough to have good entertainment/recreation, food and business variety but small enough to have charm and easy access to everything.
5. If you could take a trip to visit anywhere outside of Winston-Salem, where would it be and why?
•Right now, I think I want to travel to Europe, particularly Spain to visit a friend that moved there a few months ago.
6. -BONUS QUESTION-Do you think you’re an ambassador for Winston-Salem?
•I am sure many would say I am. I would say I am an advocate in all aspects. I support our city and I promote our city.
•I grew up around Raleigh, NC but I met my husband in the mountains at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. Our shared love of the mountains and the outdoors took us out West for a few years where we lived in a cute little A-frame tucked away in the snowy alpine mountains of Utah. There I worked as a Fine Art Consultant at an art gallery while my husband worked as the manager of a ski shop.
As idyllic as it was, we wanted to plant roots a little closer to home, so we moved back to North Carolina. Wanting to balance being close to family with our love of the mountains, we chose Winston Salem, NC as our home. Neither of us are from the area, but we found that this sweet little city was the perfect Goldilocks place for us: not too big and not too small. It’s close to the mountains, close to family, affordable, and has great opportunities in the medical field and in the arts (both of which were important to us).
When we first moved here, I worked as the Event Coordinator at the beautiful Reynolda House Museum of American Art before launching my own art business, selling original acrylic landscape paintings, high quality prints, art products, and more. My husband worked at Novant Health before eventually leaving his job to join me full-time in our art business. Now we both work from home on our family art business, traveling on weekends to art fairs all around the Southeast.
WHY do you do what you do?
•Any time I was asked as a little girl what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer never deviated: I wanted to be an artist. Art has always been my passion, my comfort, my solace. I’ve loved exploring other avenues within the arts, but ultimately, my goal has always been to become a studio artist. Every day I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that I get to be what I always wanted more than anything to be.
Ever since I met my husband, Joshua, we had dreamed up ways to work together one way or the other. Now, after nearly a decade together, we finally get to turn that dream into a reality.
What’s your favorite part about Winston-Salem?
•When I first moved here, I would have answered this question differently. I would have said that my favorite part of Winston Salem is the great balance of city life and the outdoors: the cute downtown, great restaurants, and coffee shops, balanced by the proximity of the mountains and access to beautiful hiking trails.
Now, my favorite part about Winston Salem is its support and enthusiasm for small businesses. I don’t know that I would have the art business that I have now if it weren’t for the affordability and the entrepreneurial spirit of Winston Salem. It’s what gave me the confidence to take the huge risk of starting my own business. Every Winston Salem local I meet is overwhelmingly supportive of new businesses, entrepreneurs, and the arts. It’s what makes me feel so lucky to call this place my home.
If you could take a trip to visit anywhere outside of Winston-Salem, where would it be and why?
•I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled to many beautiful places all across the country and around the world and would return to any number of them in a heartbeat. However, as a mountain lover and outdoor enthusiast, I would prefer to travel somewhere with a great mountain culture where I can truly immerse myself in nature during the day and enjoy delicious food and wine in the evening.
For our honeymoon, my husband and I traveled through France and spent the majority of our time in Chamonix in the French Alps. If I could visit anywhere in the world, I would likely return to the Alps, but this time, in a different country like Switzerland, Austria, or Italy: anyplace where the alpine air is fresh, the views are surreal, and the cuisine is delicious.
-BONUS Question-
Do you think you’re an ambassador for Winston-Salem?
•Absolutely! Winston Salem is my chosen home, and every day I’m grateful to have found this sweet little Southern sanctuary.
“As a nonprofit who has helped hundreds of businesses, I see daily the importance of being involved and active when it comes to laws and regulation,” stated Cates-Allen. “Joining NSBA’s Leadership Council will enable me to take our collective small-business message to the people that need to hear it most.”
Cates-Allen, a graduate of the oldest women’s college in the country, Salem College, has run the WS Ambassadors since 2016 and has over 18 years of experience in the worlds of corporate, nonprofit, real estate, airline industry, and more. She is a passionate believer in supporting local and small business.
Cates-Allen joined the NSBA Leadership Council as part of her efforts to tackle the many critical issues facing small business, including tax reform, regulatory restraint, health care costs and how access to capital will impact small business. The NSBA Leadership Council is focused on providing valuable networking between small-business advocates from across the country while ensuring small business a seat at the table as Congress and regulators take up key small-business proposals.
“I am proud to have Mackenzie Cates-Allen as part of our Leadership Council,” stated NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken. “She came to us highly recommended and I look forward our coordinated efforts for years to come.”
Please click here to learn more about the Winston-Salem Ambassadors, or go to wsambassadors.org. For more on the NSBA Leadership Council, please visit http://www.nsba.biz.
Created in 2016, the WS Ambassadors is a nonprofit organization seeking to welcome all to the greatest city in North Carolina. They seek to empower all to succeed through access to resources, knowledge, and people. The Ambassadors is a tax-deductible nonprofit, EIN 81-4170578.
April 20, 2023 – The Winston-Salem Ambassadors, a nonprofit that serves as a “welcome wagon” and a “clearinghouse of knowledge and people” are opening a Welcome Center at 420 N. Cherry St, in Downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27101.
The City of Winston-Salem has leased 420 N. Cherry St to the Winston-Salem Ambassadors, and it will be a home for the Ambassadors, a welcoming beacon to anyone with questions about Winston-Salem. Whether those are visitors wondering about a spot to eat, or where something is, or a young entrepreneur curious about available office space Downtown, or anyone looking to figure out what’s going on in the City, the Ambassadors are eager to welcome all.
The Welcome Center will host local artists work, to display and sell, and serve as a resource to anyone who wants information about Winston-Salem. Mackenzie Cates-Allen, President of the Winst0n-Salem Ambassadors, says “this is the perfect location for the Ambassadors and we are thrilled this more than 3 year project is finally moving forward.”
Cates-Allen says, “there is so much to look forward to in 2023, new Board Members and Ambassadors, the Welcome Center, and the fact that we are taking over the WS Holiday Parade from the WS Jaycees.”
While the space is tucked away on a walkway beside the WSPD Bike Patrol at 4th and Cherry, it is half a block away from the Convention Center, directly above the ballroom, and housed in between 2 of the busiest hotels in Downtown Winston-Salem. It is centrally located in the heart of Downtown, mere blocks away from hotels, countless bars, and dozens of restaurants, and shops.
The exterior of 420 N. Cherry St. will eventually be updated with a colorful mural with the word ‘welcome’ in different languages. Sidewalk art is planned in the coming months to direct folks to the Welcome Center.
An Open House will be held on April 29, 2023 from 10a-2pm and in the Fall, a Grand Opening Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting on Sept 16, 2023 at 10:30am with elected officials.
The Winston-Salem Ambassadors is a nonprofit that focuses on inclusivity, education, and welcome.
For more information, please check out the website at wsambassadors.org or contact Mackenzie Cates-Allen at (336) 794-6050, at mackenzie@wsambassadors.org or on social media. The Winston-Salem Ambassadors EIN is 81-4170578.
Hello friends of the Winston-Salem Ambassadors! It’s President Mackenzie Cates-Allen here. Happy almost Spring of 2023.
Much like the flowers and trees, we too are coming back to life after an extended hit that we took due to the worldwide pandemic.
We are STILL HERE! And Board Chair Dale Cole and I are so excited to welcome one new Board Member.
Saul learned to art of rug-making during Covid, piecing together the process of learning, and turned it into a business.
“I am Saul Navarro, and as founder of Red Thread I believe that everyone deserves a way to show their own individual personalities. I created Red Thread as a way for every person I meet to be able to display their own uniqueness and eclectic personalities with our custom heirloom rugs.
Our slogan: “Where Personality Shines” Greatly embodies our mission to display local creatives and creators and showcase their personalities within the community; starting with Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and extending to the Piedmont Triad area.
With our Handmade textiles we hope to be a true beacon for all.”
WELCOME Saul! As a nonprofit, we cannot do anything without our community members and we are so incredibly grateful.
Advisory Committee
We are also very excited to have the Advisory Committee up and running! The AC is basically the “board lite” as I call it. You are still able to help contribute to the running of the overall organization, without the full-on commitment to being on the Board of Directors.
You *are* required to still sign an NDA and the Inclusivity Agreement, but you don’t have to attend every meeting. Only those that you can!
We’d love to have you! Check here for more information, or as always, please feel free to email me at mackenzie@wsambassadors.org.
“You must agree to abide by the code of conduct/ethics, Inclusivity Agreement, Nondisclosure/Confidentiality Agreement and our Mission, Vision, Values.”
WE are excited to welcome Dale Cole to the Board of Directors!
Dale Cole has over 35 years in the HVAC industry. He is currently employed by the State of North Carolina as an HVAC tech on the UNCG campus. Dale has used his time in the industry to cultivate a network of local business owners and civic leaders.
Dale’s family has called the piedmont area home for generations. His grandfather was a tobacco farmer . His father and several other family members retired from RJ Reynolds tobacco company.
Dale is a third generation musician . His grandfather , father and uncles formed the Cole family band in the late 1930s and performed in Forsyth and surrounding counties into the 1940s. Dale taught his son to play guitar and is in the process of passing the legacy down to his grandchildren.
Dale along with his friend Jon Epstein created to FaceBook group Foothills Area Musicians . This group boasts a membership of almost 800 local musicians. The group holds fundraisers throughout the year for several local charitable organizations.
Cole also along with Rick Gustaitis formed the Camel City Revelators.
With Covid putting an end to social gatherings . Dale with the help of Gabriel Higgins, Tommy Priest, and Danielle Bull formed The Virtual Village. They quickly recruited others from the WS business community and set out to raise money for the areas service industry displaced by the Corona virus. At the end of 2020 the Virtual Village connected with HOPE of WS and will work exclusively with HOPE to help feed the hungry children of our community .
Dale will bring his organizational skills and vast network of local musicians and business owners to The WS Ambassadors.
Sept. 24, 2019 – Mackenzie Cates-Allen, President & Chief Ambassador of the Winston-Salem Ambassadors, announces the Fall 2019 ‘Welcome to Winston-Salem Orientation,’ which will be held October 9, 2019 at Wake Forest University’s Farrell Hall in Broyhill Auditorium from 5:30-7pm.
This event is free, but an RSVP is requested at wsambassadors.org/RSVP. This event aims to educate and inspire and will cover the history of Salem, the history of Winston, their merger and the Downtown story. Also covered will be elected officials, neighborhoods, schools, colleges and universities, fun things to do and see and more. Guest speakers include Jason Thiel, President of the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership and Shalisha Morgan of the Geek in Heels.
This will be the 5th Orientation the Winston-Salem Ambassadors have held. With a mission to increase awareness of Winston-Salem AND to make people feel welcome, the Winston-Salem Ambassadors are entering their 3rd year.
Winston-Salem Ambassadors 