I grew up near Middlebury, Vermont, a small college town with rural roots. Everyday life was steeped with a sense of responsibility to pitch in and contribute in some fashion. It was, and still is, a community where people are expected to notice when others needed assistance and to roll up their sleeves and help. It’s the approach I take to this day – I listen to people and solve problems!
As a high school exchange student living with a family in the Netherlands, and later serving in an internship program in Haifa, Israel, I experienced and adopted diverse customs, languages, and a more global perspective of the world, a lens that has been important to me ever since.
My husband, Alex Hoar, and I came to Amherst in 1992 for our jobs with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. North Amherst became our home, where we rented for seven years and, along with our two children, became active members of the Marks Meadow Elementary School Community. Finally in 1999, we purchased a house on Cottage Street, in the heart of the in-town residential district. Thus, we are long-time residents of the special area now comprising District 4. District 4 is important to me!
