Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published January 31, 2020.

Where are you from? How did you end up in Rochester?

I was born in the South Wedge and grew up in Pittsford. I attended the Park School at Ithaca College for undergrad, and my first job after that was in local news at the NBC affiliate for Elmira/Corning. I also worked weekends at Channel 13 in Rochester. When I went to college with kids who were from bigger cities and planned to move back there, I always had a chip on my shoulder and wanted to learn more about how I could stem the tide and help make myself part of the solution in Rochester. When I’d bring my NYC or Philly friends here, they’d be like “Oh man, this is such a small town.” Early on, I developed a whole set of arguments against that mentality.

I went to grad school at Penn in Philadelphia; I wanted to go away and come back to taste how it’s done somewhere else where it’s working. I did a fellowship at a think tank focused on economic development and revitalization. Afterwards, I worked at the Center for Governmental Research, and then took a job at Greater Rochester Enterprise. Downtown was a lot grittier then, and it’s come a long way. From 2011 onwards, it was like someone turned the lights on. You’ve got the Holiday Village, Fringe Fest, and the JazzFest just keeps getting bigger. I don’t think we have to work as hard when we go out into the world to fight the “Ew, Rochester” response people used to give.

What are some hidden gems you've discovered around Rochester?

My boyfriend and I love going to Lux for live music; it’s not as much of a hidden gem anymore, but I was first introduced to that scene years ago when I was first falling in love with Rochester, and it’s still thriving. 

My dad bartends at a restaurant in Penfield called Charley Brown’s. It’s one of those restaurants that is frozen in time. The scene is more older folks, earlybirds, but on Saturdays there’s a jazz trio. They have the best chicken French in Rochester. The drinks are great and they’re not expensive. I just love that as a non-glamorous fun night out. 

I love going to the Rundel Library downtown. I rediscovered in recent years the pleasure of checking out a book and devouring it, or getting a CD and playing the CD from track 1 to track 12, start to finish. Another lost art! Another thing about the library is we’ve got the Business Innovation Library and the Historians Office- these experts will sit down with you for as long as you need. Want to know the history of the house you live in? Go to the library and find out!

If you had $100 and 2 hours to kill, how would you spend the money/time in Rochester?

I would probably take that money and round up a bunch of kids who hadn’t been to the Strong Museum or RMSC and let them go play for 2 hours. It’s so inexpensive to hang out in this town. I’d want to share it! 

What's the best place to get a garbage plate? 

My boyfriend and I really like the plates at Bill Gray’s. I equate garbage plates with summertime, going to Seabreeze, riding the Jackrabbit, and then getting a plate and a softserve ice cream.

I also like to remind people of Rochester’s other food associations, like chicken French. And mustard! America’s relationship with mustard is based in Rochester. Our food story is so much more elaborate!

Garbage plates also have a lot of history. People who work in manufacturing environments had only 15 minutes to eat lunch. The plate was born of a need to pack in as much protein as possible in a short window. It was mostly eaten by Polish, Ukrainian, and German immigrants who worked in those manufacturing jobs.

What is your personal coping mechanism for cold/gray weather? 

Rochester was ranked high on a list last year for hygge cities because we’re good at coping with it. I like taking an Uber to dive bars in the Wedge or going to Unter for the outdoor fire.I like to do fun stuff like that on weekend evenings. You’re getting out, but there’s that element of coziness and camaraderie. 

The YMCA of Greater Rochester is my great love affair of winter in the 585. Warm locker rooms, kind people, the sweet smell of chlorine and the sauna! Carlson MetroCenter is my home Y.

My boyfriend and I both like to ski, both cross country and downhill. There’s nothing like freezing cold skiing at night where your cheeks are all red and flushed, then you go in and drink a glass of wine by the fire. It’s nice to have this season where you don’t have to do that much if you don’t want. This is the time of year to be at peace.

What's one memory you have that captures what Rochester means to you? 

One of the first times I went to the Public Market as a child, in 1987 or 1988. I watched a lot of Sesame Street at the time, and the Public Market felt just like Sesame Street, with all the people, music, noise, and diversity. 

What exciting new things are heading our way in 2020? 

In the near term, we’ll see investments in Eastman Business Park from two companies focused on sustainability and renewable energy. There’s job creation tied to that, they’ll use legacy infrastructure, and it puts Rochester on the map where we belong.

The Roc 2025 initiative is another step towards promoting community-wide conversation. It’s focused on talent retention and equity, and tying the conversations about poverty and workforce development to actual, tangible job creation opportunities. It’ll be exciting to see that take shape.

The census is really important, and I’m nervous to see how Rochester is represented. As an economic development professional, I want to see more data on languages spoken in Rochester. We’ve been fortunate to have a tremendous influx of refugees from Puerto Rico and other countries, and I want to have a better understanding of the impact. As a community, we need to come together and be as supportive as we can possibly be.

What do you hope to see change in Rochester in 2020?

In community conversations about business and economic development, I want to see more inclusion of voices typically not represented- like people from underserved neighborhoods and communities of color. Businesses that are considering moving to Rochester give us poor marks for a lack of diversity in the workforce. Our tech sector is 76% male, and the numbers are even more dismal in terms of representation of Black people, Latinx folks, etc. 

I want to make friends with more people that don’t look like me. I don’t want to be the only woman, or the only woman under age 40, or there are no people of color in a room. New leaders in Rochester have the power to be more intentional about inclusion.

What advice would you give to someone who is new to Rochester and wants to get to know the area? 

If you’re new to Rochester and don’t know people, we have a really dynamic networking scene. Go to events hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, Rochester Young Professionals, Tech Rochester, and chapters of national industry organizations, like IEEE and the American Marketing Association. When I moved back to Rochester, I started joining groups and going to things where I didn’t know anyone. 99.9% of my friends are folks I’ve met in adulthood, not people I met in school. Try to get involved in a neighborhood group, the planning and zoning board, or local government. You can make a tremendous impact that way, and make great friends too.