I am a storyteller, convener and brainstorm partner. I care about supporting people to cultivate their connections to place, especially in working communities that are trying to both celebrate their past and chart a course forward in uncertain times. This is important because communities with a shared sense of purpose and identity are more resilient and more powerful in times of change.

I'm passionate about storytelling in writing and in sound, about deep listening both within organizations and with communities, and about what makes people feel comfortable and cared for in their learning and community environments. I work with community based organizations and institutional collections to build useful, thoughtful qualitative evaluation strategies for their work, and to develop place-based learning programs and media. And I write about what I care about at cultivatingplaces.com

As a PhD student, my research focuses on how communities make meaning about their environment, and how their stories about place and work influence their attitudes towards stewardship. I'm always asking three questions:

"What supports an individual's curiosity and attention?" "What makes a community feel rich?" and "What makes an institution resilient?"

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I received my MUP in Urban Planning, with a contcentration on Cultural Heritage and Neighborhood Development, with distinction from Harvard in 2012. I'm now a PhD student in Urban and Landscape Studies.