Internships, Experience & Awards
Public Policy Fellowship | Center for Women in Government and Civil Society
Placement: Department of Transportation, Office of Civil Justice
Responsibilities: Research and analysis for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) persons around New York State impacted by highway and construction projects using census data, GIS technologies and community outreach.
Intern | NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) – Heritage Areas Program | Fall 2007
Responsible for developing a comprehensive Resource Guide of partners involved in heritage development.
Planning & Development Assistant: McGill University Admissions Office | 2006-2007
Planning/Research Interests
Growing up in the small, community-oriented, Adirondack village of Keene has shaped Hilary’s interest in planning and has led her to specialize in community and economic development on the local as well as regional scale. As a graduate of McGill University, studying and living in the cosmopolitan city of Montreal, Quebec has also directed Hilary’s career path and personal interests. Issues of gentrification, smart growth and public participation remain at the heart of Hilary’s planning agenda. An integral part of her planning mantra is promoting equity, job growth, creativity and partnership among planners, universities, governments and communities.
As President of the Graduate Planning Students’ Association, Hilary was committed toward further developing the relationship and communication between the university and professional world of planning as well as among departments such as planning and public health; promoting student involvement in Albany’s Comprehensive Planning Process; an active student body with local and regional trips and regular social events to facilitate learning, bonding and all things relating to planning.
Thesis/Research Paper Topic
Hilary is interested in developing solutions and building coordination between groups caught in the parallel ‘brain drain’ trends facing Upstate New York: the flight of young professionals and the retirement of the baby boomer generation. In addition to developing ‘cool communities, she is committed toward redeveloping disadvantaged communities, and addressing the socioeconomic disparities in health and concentration of poverty in urban areas.