The 1828 Project is one of our signature programs at IndyHub and each year it’s full of incredible leaders between the ages of 18 and 28. Emily is a part of 1828’s Class VII. We sent her some questions and she responded. Keep reading to learn more about Emily!
What is your day-job?
I’m a Program Officer at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). I specifically focus on our economic development programming which ranges from supporting large scale industrial reuse/brownfield projects to helping start-up businesses connect to resources as they grow. I also serve as a liaison from LISC to our Near Eastside community development partners and manage grants and contracts with those organizations.
Where are you originally from?
Evansville, IN
What made you lay your roots here in Indianapolis?
I moved to Indy in 2012 to begin grad school at IUPUI’s SPEA program. As per the nature of the program and having community service scholarships and several jobs, I quickly grew a network here. After finishing my MPA at SPEA, I applied for jobs in Indianapolis and other cities, but ultimately found a really unique job opportunity here.
If you had to choose one mode of transportation to get around our city, which would you choose and why?
I’m not going to give an idealistic urban millennial answer here and just going to be honest and say: my car! I do have a bike in my office though that I try to use when I can around downtown during warmer weather and also have a Pacer’s Bikeshare pass.
Which local coffee joint is your favorite? What’s your go-to order?
Neidhammer or Rabble tend to be my go-tos. Very different vibes, but both have their appeal. Over the last year, I’ve transitioned into being primarily latte drinker. I sort of feel like I should judge myself for that, but I can’t resist them.
Who has been your favorite speaker thus far?
My favorite speakers for 1828 thus far have been Dave Lawrence, President, and Krista Skidmore, Board President, of the Arts Council. It was really interesting to get more context on the history and future of arts funding in Indianapolis. “The arts” are something that have at times run parallel to bits and pieces of my personal and work life, and Dave and Krista helped fill in the blanks and provide perspective on what I see in Indy and what I’m seeing elsewhere.
What are you most excited about when thinking about the future of our city?
I moved to Indy in 2012 and since then have seen what, as confirmed by others, has been an emergence of nervous acknowledgment of self-worth in this city. People are proud of their neighborhoods. People are becoming comfortable with parts of the city that have been underutilized and are finding their place in them. We still have a humble Hoosier attitude with regard to much of it, but it seems like the city is getting more comfortable in its skin. With so many great public private partnership initiatives, transformative downtown real estate projects, and a growing creative class, there seems to a general consensus among the true advocates of the city that we’re on nothing but the right track to begin to see ourselves as equals with some of more notable cities to which we tend to compare ourselves.
What was the best compliment you’ve ever received?
My dad died earlier in February 2018 and I took the opportunity to deliver the eulogy at his funeral. It was extremely hard, but extremely important and so many family members and friends came up to me afterwards to tell me how much I honored my dad and how proud he was and would be of me. Right now especially, and always, that’s about the best thing someone could affirm to me.
Truthfully, what gets you fired up (whether it’s excitement, fear, anger)?
At some point in high school, I realized I liked to be a connector. I was involved in a lot of things then (and in college and grad school and afterwards) and started to realize how franticly excited I sometimes get when I get to plug people into other people, opportunities or events. Despite being a bit introverted, it’s really satisfying to me when I can connect the dots. And then on the other end of the fired up spectrum, at some point in the last 10 years I realized I’m pretty afraid of heights. If I have to walk down stairs at the upper level of a stadium, I channel my fear into thinking “What kind of senseless person designed this?! I could topple down hundreds of feet if someone bumped into me! How is this safe or legal?!”
What’s your dream adventure vacation?
When I was in grad school, I was lucky to be able to spend three weeks in Beijing through a study abroad program. I thought it about every day for at least a year after going. I’d love to be able to spend maybe 4-5 months exploring some of the various regions of China, especially southern China which has some amazing protected parks and remote villages, but also be able to spend more time in Beijing, one of the largest cities in the world. From a sociological and anthropological standpoint, China is fascinating but also not for the faint hearted. I know I began to get a little frustrated with a few things after only being there three weeks, so I know it would be an incredible challenge, but also an amazing adventure. I could probably put together a fairly entertaining photo travel blog afterwards. I’m six feet tall and that attracts quite a bit of attention and funny photo ops in China!
