HOME I am Amber Caccamo

By: Shelley Galbreath

Amber Caccamo lives in Northwest Fort Wayne, but she grew up in Waynedale on Elzey Street by Waynedale Elementary School and Waynedale Park.

She admits that she had a rough upbringing with issues those in poverty face daily.

“I grew up in a home with an absent father, a single working mother, and I was constantly surrounded by drug and alcohol abuse with a lack of money, resources, and focus on education,” Caccamo said. “It was survival mode at its finest.”

She considers herself lucky to have had a very hard-working mother who made sure no hard lesson was a waste, but rather used as a teachable moment of how to keep climbing the ladder for a better life while keeping her authenticity intact.

“It’s one of my favorite American Dream stories ever. My siblings and I all have found our ways to success in the labyrinth to productive adulthood,” she said. “I have landed my dream job as the Executive Director at the DeKalb County Visitors Bureau, my brother Jeremy is a successful sound engineer in Nashville Tennessee, and my sister Shontael is a Lead Statistical Data Scientist in Columbus, Ohio.”

Caccamo has never moved from the Fort Wayne area not even for college. “All the years that I spent dreaming and working towards a better life, I never once thought I had to move away to do that. Northeast Indiana has everything anyone should want or need to build an amazing life,” she said.

She attended IPFW and received a degree in Elementary Education. She also has a passion for bully prevention and loves to help raise strong girls, which led her to study and teach martial arts for many years.

Caccamo is raising two daughters, Ady (17) and Ella (14) with the philosophy of doing life even better. “Every generation, you hope, takes the experiences and guidance from the mistakes before and continues to make it better. My girls are smart, courageous, hard-working, opinionated women, and I couldn’t be prouder of them,” she said.

Her position at the DeKalb County Visitors Bureau is everything she’s dreamed of in a job. Her responsibility is to promote tourism throughout the county.

“What I love most about my job is being an idea builder for amazing partnerships and events and connecting people for optimum involvement,” she said. “This is the most fulfilling and enjoyable job I have ever had.”

When asked to list the top five places she likes best in Fort Wayne, The Clyde was number one. She loves seeing the old Quimby Village reimagined into the venue it has become. Others to make her list are Sunday brunch at Proximo, Tin Caps games and fireworks, Junk Food Alley at the Three Rivers Festival, and hanging out with other volleyball moms at Ted’s Beerhall.

In Dekalb County, Caccamo admits her hands down favorite is the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. “The Great Gatsby period was phenomenal in many ways,” she said. “The ingenuity and technology coming from the car designers was astounding. Also, who doesn’t love a good speakeasy party?”

Caccamo loves the rural picturesque perfection of kayaking from the Spencerville covered bridge; the unique experiences at local wineries Country Heritage Winery, Byler Lane Winery, and Hartland Winery; and Shorty’s Steakhouse. “They have the best filet mignon! Try it with the Ghost Pepper Margarita,” she said.

Caccamo has no plans to leave this area, as she loves this region and considers it an affordable place to raise kids that is safe with plenty of big city options. a