Jackson, Miss. (Feb. 6, 2025) – Aimee Guido, Project Manager at Natchez, Inc., has been awarded the Marsha N. Hamilton Spirit Award by the Mississippi Development Authority on February 6, 2025, at the Mississippi Economic Development Council Award Luncheon held during the Legislative Conference at the Westin Jackson.
A Natchez native, Aimee Guido holds an undergraduate degree from Delta State University and earned her Masters at the University of Southern Mississippi, both of which are in Art Education. Since joining the team at Natchez, Inc in 2012, Aimee served as the Communications Manager and is now the Project Manager for the organization.
During her tenure at Natchez, Inc she has managed the successful Shift South remote worker campaign and incentive program, which welcomed new Natchezians after the start of the pandemic; as well as, a marketing campaign that both boosted the morale of the area and urged residents to ‘Put Your Money Where Your Home Is’ as stores reopened. She also assists with the management of the Southwest Mississippi Partnership and plays a major role in the planning of their annual event in Natchez each fall.
In years past, Aimee assisted in the Entrepreneur Academy in both Adams and Wilkinson Counties, which was a partnership between Alcorn State University and Natchez, Inc. She assisted in the certification process for Adams County to be the first in Mississippi to be designated as ACT WorkReady® Certified. Also, she assisted in the process to help Adams County reach the designation as a Bioeconomy Economic Development Opportunity Zone or “BDO Zone.”
She has also applied for and received grants for marketing, small business development, and site development projects for Adams County.
Professionally, she is a member of the Mississippi Economic Development Council, Mississippi Forestry Association and Mississippi Tourism Association. Her education and art expertise have been a valuable part of the communications component of Natchez Inc. She served on the Board of Directors for the Concordia Parish Chamber of Commerce. She currently is a board member of the Ellis Laine Malone Foundation and Copiah-Lincoln Community College Foundation.
Locally, she is a member of the Krewe of Bon Temps, the Natchez Garden Club and St Mary’s Basilica Catholic Church. In her leisure time, she enjoys time in her pottery studio, being outdoors with family, friends and giving back to her hometown. She lives in Natchez with her Boykin Spaniel, Honey.
According to the MDA, recipients of the award must:
- Exhibit professional competency and consistent collegiality with his or her peers;
- Exhibit the highest degree of integrity at work and in the community;
- Have gone beyond the norm in the input of time, energy and resources to further the goals of economic development in Mississippi and to bring honor to their profession in general.
The award is named for Marsha Nell Hamilton, a graduate of Jackson State University who served at the Mississippi Development Authority from 1983 until her passing in December of 2012. Hamilton’s area of specialization was global trade an international diplomacy.
As a manager of the international trade office, she worked on behalf of small businesses to promote and distribute their products and services worldwide. She opened and managed the state’s foreign office network, navigating state contracting and foreign currency accounts as she made the most of appropriated state resources.
Hamilton was largely responsible for the establishment of the now-permanent MDA global trade STEP grant, which to date has provided more than $500 million in direct funding to small businesses.