From Local Roots to Downtown Leadership: Zeke Tracy Steps into Defiance Main Street Role

Ezekiel "Zeke" Tracy, Executive Director, Defiance Main Street & Visitors Bureau

There’s a new face in downtown Defiance.

Ezekiel "Zeke" Tracy is the new executive director of the Defiance Main Street and Visitors Bureau (formerly known as the Defiance Development and Visitors Bureau). Tracy took over the position after Kirstie Mack stepped down in September. 

“Our office has had huge success, with (marketing and operations manager) Lori Hagerman leading the way on different events that help the downtown thrive, and my predecessor, Kristie Mack, who diligently looked for new opportunities to bring new and creative things to the downtown area,” praised Tracy, highlighting the music downtown as well as the lights that run across the street.

“I get to stand on the shoulders of these two incredible women and continue this tradition of creating a space in the downtown that people want to be in,” he added. 

Tracy grew up in the area and is a 2009 graduate of Continental High School. He praised the small school for allowing him “to be part of programming and leadership positions that I don’t think I would have been able to be a part of at a bigger school.”

He then graduated from Bluffton University, majoring in arts and minoring in peace & conflict studies. Having that background is beneficial to the Defiance Main Street and Visitors Bureau (DMSVB) office, Tracy explained. “...at the core of what we do, creativity is a must,” he stated. “We strive to get people to downtown Defiance and to the county as a whole.”

Prior to becoming the executive director of the DMSVB, he worked at the Family Christian Center and as a contractor in the region. “Working at Family Christian Center as the children’s director was incredible,” gushed Tracy. “That position taught me a lot about working as a well-known figure within the community. There will be bad days where you feel like a complete failure and where people will tell you you’re a failure, and there will be days that make your heart explode with joy, and people will celebrate the work you’re doing. This job has similar instances. 

“As a nonprofit we (at the DMSVB) want the best for our community,” he continued. “We want to see Defiance thrive and for our local business owners to feel supported, welcomed and successful. We will have days and projects to celebrate, and we will have days and projects to mourn.”

Tracy said being a contractor was very much about problem solving and being self-motivated – something else that he can use in his DMSVB position. 

Tracy has been very involved in the Defiance community for years. After leaving the contracting business, he wanted to get back into the nonprofit world. He worked as a kennel attendant at the Fort Defiance Humane Society, chair for the patron drive for the Fort Defiance Player, president of the Defiance Society of Artists and was a children’s associate at the Defiance Public Library.  

Magnets available for purchase at Defiance Main Street & Visitors Bureau office.

“I love being able to pour into my community, and the nonprofit route was the obvious choice,” Tracy asserted. “Unsurprisingly, in every instance, organizations are struggling due to lack of funding, volunteers and space. These are people who are our neighbors and friends, striving to help the community with the resources they have been given – so much of the time it is exhaustive work with very little thanks. They can’t help everyone like they wish they could.”

Tracy’s dedication to the community is also something he’s learned from his family. 

His family has been very active in the community for years. His parents are Buff and Tony Tracy; and his siblings are Eli (Amanda) Tracy and Zoe (Michael) Biedleman. “We have all been involved in Defiance or the surrounding community in one way or the other,” explained Tracy. “Whether that be through church work or working with the public in a variety of ways.”

Tracy’s husband, Corey Ellis, also is very active in the community. In addition to working for State Bank, he directed “Big Fish” for the Fort Defiance Players and is treasurer for the Defiance Society for Artists. He’s also working on several fantasy books. The couple is trying to become certified foster parents as well. 

In his post with Defiance Main Street, Tracy is bringing “a new wave of passion” to the office.

“I love our city,” he proclaimed. “I love the people of our city. I want it to thrive and succeed and be more than what people dream it can be.” This is the 20th anniversary of the organization, and Tracy is excited for everything planned in 2026.

He also thanked everyone who “continually shows up to make things happen” with the organization. “Our volunteers and organizers help to sustain the vision of our office, and I believe together we can continue to bring Defiance to the forefront of what it means to be a small town with big dreams,” he said.

While he doesn’t have a favorite event the organization puts on, he did note that the Lilac Festival in May is the biggest free event and draws up to 6,000 people annually. The Ribfest, meanwhile, is the biggest fundraiser, bringing 7,000 people downtown.

Ribfest 2025, Downtown Defiance

All of the events at the DMSVB highlight Defiance. “The best thing about downtown Defiance is the people, all of them,” Tracy proclaimed. “Business owners, community members, tourists, working and collaborating and visiting all of them is my favorite (thing about the post). We have so many business folk who have been here for years, making the heart of our city vibrant and alive. We have so many community members who show up every week to support their neighbors. We have so many tourists who stop in our little corner of Ohio and want to know the best places to go and tell us little pieces of their lives. It’s an incredible melting pot of the human experience in downtown Defiance.” 

Lilac Festival posters & art on display in the Defiance Main Street & Visitors Bureau office.

Tracy said one challenge of his post is “the lack of understanding about what the downtown’s purpose is.”

“This is our heart,” he stressed of the downtown area. “It is meant for community members and tourists to walk around, to take in the history, the architecture, and the fruits of locally-owned businesses. That means making it safe, walkable and keeping it attractive and taken care of. It isn’t meant as a thoroughfare. … It is meant for slow-paced strolls and meeting with friends and family and being a place you want to hang out in.”

He said the one thing that really should be highlighted more about Defiance is that it truly is a great place to live.”

“There will always be something to complain about or people you don’t like, but our friends, neighbors and family members who live and work here are truly trying their best to make this city and county the best it can be,” Tracy began.

“Everyday, we, the people of Defiance, are faced with hard decisions, and it is my belief that we are all trying to make wise decisions that will improve our quality of life on our small portion of the world so that our kids, grandkids, and beyond can have the best lives possible,” he stated.

Defiance history wall inside the Defiance Main Street office.

Defiance Main Street & Visitors Bureau is located in Downtown Defiance, Ohio at 325 Clinton St. Visit them in person to see all they have to offer, and check them out online: https://www.visitdefianceohio.com/