Elizabeth Rummage

Digital Accounts Manager/Special Projects Coordinator, Miller Davis Agency, Salisbury, NC

Native of Gainesville, GA

Industry: Digital Marketing/Web Development

Elizabeth Rummage grew up yearning for community that included nearby family. She found it when she and her husband, Michael, moved to his hometown of Rockwell 15 years ago from Phoenix, AZ. Michael’s family has been here for generations.

As part of a military family, Elizabeth moved constantly as a child. She wanted her three sons to have the experience of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Now, she is part of extended family Friday night dinners, and Michael’s mother, Donna, lives next door. “She’s a godsend and my children have a deep connection with her,” Elizabeth says of her mother-in-law. 

Elizabeth craved community closeness, she says. “I want my children to grow up with friends they have made since preschool. I tried to find and become part of a community to improve others’ lives and make them happier, if only for a short time. I want my children to grow up with their family members coming to visit them at school for lunches and special grandparents’ days … to have family attend recitals, school concerts, and even have family meals that did not hinge on a hectic holiday weekend. I craved connection, and I believe that we have found that here in Rowan County.”

Life is busy for Elizabeth and Michael, both of whom have careers in IT. Elizabeth is Digital Accounts Manager/Special Projects Coordinator at Miller Davis Marketing Agency in Salisbury. She has a history degree with a minor in Holocaust genocide from UNC-Charlotte. She has taken classes in computer programming and project management at Rowan Cabarrus Community College and says she is self-taught in her chosen field. Michael has an associate degree in Information Technology and Business IT Support from RCCC. Both have found the digital program at the community college helpful in their careers. 

Their children, Joshua, 16, attends East Rowan High School; Aaron, 13, is at Erwin Junior High, and Nicholas, 9, attends Shive Elementary. 

“Rowan County is the best place I have ever lived,” says Elizabeth. “From its centralized location in North Carolina, award-winning Renewal School System, and community-building events and festivals, there is always something going on and something for everyone.”

She finds the community a place to be “unabashedly yourself,” in keeping with the county slogan, Be an Original.™ “You don’t have to ‘put on a show’ here for others, and you can always find your community,” she says.

Her favorite restaurant is Sweet Meadows in downtown Salisbury because it is sensitive to diet restrictions, such as providing non-dairy milk, and uses all local food. “It’s good owners and good food,” she says.

Her favorite outdoor space is Dan Nicholas Park with its variety of activities for families, such as the gem mine, mini golf course, and paddle boats. “There is something for everyone,” she says.

Her favorite event is the Salisbury Pride Festival. “My family is in the LGBTQ spectrum. It’s nice to have representation and to be around others like yourself,” she says.

She has been a member of the Concord Lions Club for 14 years and is IT Chair of the Piedmont area Lions Club International District 31-I. She also maintains the Concord club’s website and contributes her expertise and research skills to other community organizations, such as the Rowan Museum’s exhibit, “Rowan Women: Creating Freedom.” She is also a member of the Rowan Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals Club. “The group has really helped me make more connections in the county with my peers,” she says. “There is always someone there to lend a helping hand and support one another.”

In addition to community, Elizabeth finds the centralized location of Rowan County appealing.

“Having traveled so much as a child/teen, the ability to visit Charlotte or Raleigh for the day when I want to experience ‘BIG CITY LIFE’ again, but then return to my ‘small-town living’ to relax is ideal. The possibilities are endless, and Rowan County is growing. Much like how North Carolina is the ideal state with temperate weather and the mountains/Piedmont/beach, all within a day trip, Rowan County has a little bit of something for everyone, without the congestion of the bigger cities.”