by Julie Fitzpatrick, Executive Director
At the February 5th, 2020 PDC Board meeting, Kathy Ramson was elected to the PDC Board of Directors. I am thrilled that she will be joining our board. I first had the pleasure of working with Kathy on the Quakertown Nature-Based Placemaking Task Force. As the Community Health Director and Community Liaison for St. Luke’s University Health Network, Kathy brings an incredible amount of experience and a community-health perspective that has not been previously represented on the PDC board.
At the May 6th, 2020 PDC Board meeting, three additional board members were elected to join PDC for the 2020/21 term, they are: Maria Boileau, Justin Dula, and Jeanine Henry.
Maria has been connected to PDC since 2004 when she was the Director for Downtown Lock Haven and has remained very connected to the community, as well as local and county government in Clinton County ever since, currently serving as the Director of Voter Registration/Elections. Maria brings the wisdom of a previous Main Street manager with the added perspective of the changes over the last fifteen years.
I first met Justin in the mid-2000’s during his tenure at the Delaware County Planning Commission. Justin has been a champion for PDC and served on the previous Transportation Task Force. Currently, he is the Community Relations Specialist at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection focusing on environmental justice outreach and serves on the boards of the Delaware Valley Smart Growth Alliance and the Bywood Community Association and is active with the American Planning Association.
Jeanine has been an active leader with Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful, their Main Street program since 2001. She has a strong background in banking and economic development and is happy to lend both her professional wisdom and volunteer perspective from a rural community to her role on the PDC Board.
The PDC Board also recently elected Sonya Smith to the Board of Directors. Sonya brings ten years of experience in a university setting, with eight of those years serving in different capacities at Kutztown University Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and has always strived to be an adaptable, change maker in her various roles.
A hearty welcome back to Larry Newman from Diamond City Partnership in Wilkes-Barre.
We are grateful for Larry’s last two years serving as ex-officio and past president of the board and are pleased for his reinstatement.
We are fortunate to have all of these incredibly talented and dedicated new individuals join the organization, and we look forward to their leadership throughout the next few years.
As of June 30th, 2020, the board term will be expiring for two of our board members. Clyde Stoltzfus, who had retired from the PA Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in July 2019, will be stepping down from the PDC board. Clyde has served as our SBDC representative, but he also brought a strong perspective for organizational structure and integrity. Thank you for your service Clyde.
Our Chair, Naomi Naylor will be stepping off the board. Naomi has served our organization over the last six years and lead the board over the last two years. Naomi is a champion for both PDC and her own organization, Quakertown Alive!, and is seen as a leader and wise mentor throughout the commonwealth. Naomi has been instrumental in my transition into the role of executive director, and I would like to thank her for her unwavering support over the last few years. I am incredibly grateful for her leadership and guidance as we have navigated through this time. Naomi, thank you for being a constant in a time of uncertainty.
At the November 2019 Pennsylvania Downtown Center board meeting, the board approved moving forward with developing a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement for the organization. Following the lead of the National Main Street Center, PDC intends to use this time as an opportunity for critical analysis and refection on the role PDC can play in advancing these values. Main Street is a place for all. It is a gathering place where we can all come together to celebrate, honor, grieve, and demonstrate. It is a safe place, a sacred place – a special place.
If you or someone you know is interested in serving on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force, please contact me at juliefitzpatrick@padowntown.org.