Luke Freeman is ready to hit the ground running to help introduce more of the world to the beautiful place that is Carter County.

The Elizabethton/Carter County Chamber of Commerce recently selected Freeman to serve as the new Tourism Coordinator for Carter County.

Freeman grew up in Gray and attended Milligan College, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Public Relations.

“I’ve lived in this area all my life,” Freeman said.

Freeman decided to apply for the position after learning the previous Tourism Coordinator Kayla Carter had left the role.

“I saw an article in the paper about Kayla leaving, and I thought this sounded like something I would really enjoy doing,” Freeman said. “It sounded like a lot of fun and something I would like to be a part of.”

Before joining the Chamber’s team, Freeman worked for the Christian Medical and Dental Association, a non-profit organization in Bristol, where he was a member of the communications team.

“I’ve got some of those skills and I’m looking forward to bringing them here for tourism,” Freeman said, adding this will be his first experience working with the promotion of tourism.

Freeman is an outdoors enthusiast and has spent a lot of time enjoying the natural assets found in Carter County. Hiking is one of his favorite outdoor activities.

“I’ve been enjoying Carter County’s many resources for many years,” Freeman said. “Up on Roan Mountain, there’s just nothing like it, and Laurel Falls, and The Blue Hole.”

Freeman also enjoys mountain biking and disc golf. He is also interested in water sports, but said he doesn’t have enough of the equipment right now to participate as much as he would like to.

“Anytime I have the opportunity to get out on the river that’s always fun,” he said.

After enjoying so many of the aspects of Carter County for years, Freeman said he is ready to start sharing what is available here with the rest of the world through his new position.

“I’ve been told they’ve got a lot of momentum going,” he said. “I want to build on that and keep it going to help people learn about this amazing area.”