You were asked to join the ReInvision Huntingdon board. Why do you feel you are a good fit?
I have a strong interest in facilitating community development for our area. I have experience serving on boards of directors for a variety of organizations.
What do you bring to the organization?
I was born in Huntingdon and lived in Huntingdon County for most of my childhood, but moved out of Pennsylvania for 17 years before returning. I have fond memories of this community as a child, and the emotional and social connections of a native, while at the same time bringing an outsider’s perspective on potential improvements to the area. I participated in Leadership Huntingdon County in 2014-2015, and learned so much more about the community than I ever could have anticipated.
What is your profession and why did you choose this profession?
I am an attorney. I became interested in the legal profession while I was pursuing my Master of Arts in Latin American Studies. Immigration and international law issues were salient in my graduate studies, and I decided to study law with the intention of pursuing a career as an immigration attorney. Life, however, has a way of changing course, and here I am practicing law in a small town, focusing primarily on juvenile and family law, with not even a hint of an immigration practice!
Why do you choose to live/work in Huntingdon?
I returned to the area to be close to family, and I enjoy many aspects of small town life, including the ability to walk just a couple of blocks from home to work.
How would you like to positively impact our community? What do you want to see happen here? What is your ideal Huntingdon?
I would like to encourage and facilitate the revitalization of abandoned and blighted properties in the borough of Huntingdon. I would love to see an improved downtown area, where all the storefronts are full again, and where people want to spend time (there are already several businesses that do a great job of creating a sense of community and making downtown desirable, and it would be great if those efforts were extended). My pipe dream is to see all of the large empty commercial buildings converted into useable space.