WVUA reporter Chelsea Barton-Kelly hired by Tuscaloosa tourism group

Ken Roberts, Tuscaloosa News
·2 min read

A former WVUA 23 television reporter and anchor will join Tuscaloosa's tourism group as marketing content manager.

Chelsea Barton-Kelly will start her new job Wednesday at Visit Tuscaloosa after 12 years at WVUA.

“We are thrilled to welcome Chelsea to our Visit Tuscaloosa team,” said Kelsey Rush, Visit Tuscaloosa president and CEO, in a news release. “The time and effort she invested in Tuscaloosa during her tenure at WVUA has her well positioned to promote our community and the unique stories of the people who make it special.”

More: A rising tide: Tuscaloosa visitors spent $895 million in 2022, tourism group says

Barton-Kelly is a native of Marion who earned a degree in English and journalism with honors from Judson College in 2010.

She began working as an intern at WVUA in early 2011.  During her broadcast journalism career at WVUA she covered such stories as the April 27, 2011, tornado, the COVID-19 pandemic and she contributed to Bright Spots, a series that showcases positive stores in West Alabama.

Chelsea Barton-Kelly is the new marketing content manager for Visit Tuscaloosa, the city's tourism group.
Chelsea Barton-Kelly is the new marketing content manager for Visit Tuscaloosa, the city's tourism group.

“My favorite stories to tell involved people overcoming challenges and lifting each other up,” Barton-Kelly said. “This is a special place because of the people those stories featured. I’m really looking forward to sharing that warmth with a new audience in this role.”

As marketing content manager, Barton-Kelly will contribute to Visit Tuscaloosa’s advertising, media relations, content creation and digital presence. According to the news release, these efforts will focus on strengthening Tuscaloosa’s tourism brand to enhance quality of life, increase overnight visitation, tourism expenditures and tax revenue.

Barton-Kelly is active in the Tuscaloosa community, serving on the boards of United Cerebral Palsy of West Alabama and the Tuscaloosa Police Athletic League, in addition to being a member of the Junior League of Tuscaloosa.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Chelsea Barton-Kelly leaves WVUA for new job with Visit Tuscaloosa