Here’s the USC grad who will lead the Five Points Association
The Five Points Association has named Kelsey Desender, an Irmo High School and University of South Carolina graduate, its new executive director.
Desender, 29, takes over the reins of the merchants association from Amy Beth Franks. Franks, who served as the executive director for six years, is now owner of the Gourmet Shop in the urban village near USC.
Desender said her first priority is to get to know the area’s merchants.
“I’m learning a lot at one time,” she said. “But my first priority is building relationships with the Five Points family and our membership; getting face time with the business owners, understanding what their needs are and making sure they now who I am. Making sure there is a very open door.”
Desender graduated from the Darla Moore School of Business in 2012 with a double-major in business management and marketing. She then spent seven years working for Spirit Communications, now Segra, and was promoted to marketing manager. She most recently was marketing manager for South State Bank, she said.
As executive director of the Five Points Association, Desender will manage the organization’s office, staff and budget. She is also responsible for maintaining membership and overseeing marketing and promotions, economic development, beautification and safety efforts.
One of Desender’s biggest challenges will be putting on various village-wide events, most notably the St. Patrick’s Day Festival, which draws about 45,000 revelers each year. As a volunteer, she has organized events for organizations such as EdVenture Childrens’ Museum, the American Heart Association, Habitat for Humanity and the Columbia Chamber, she said.
Desender is co-chair of the Darla Moore School of Business Young Alumni Board and will rise to chairwoman next year. She is scheduled to graduate from Leadership Columbia’s Class of 2019 on June 6.
A New Jersey native, Desender grew up in Irmo and worked as a hostess at Saluda’s Restaurant in Five Points while in college, she said.
She lives in Chapin with her husband, Anthony, and two “fur babies,” Miya and Kcocemag, which is Gamecock spelled backwards, she said.
Desender’s first day with the association was Tuesday.
This story was originally published May 29, 2019 at 11:41 AM.