Meet Elizabeth
“Growing up in a family with 12 kids, I learned that everything important happened at the table.” – Elizabeth
It’s where we learned, it’s where we celebrated, it’s where we had honest conversations about problems we were having, and it’s where we worked together to solve them.
And no matter how crowded our table was (and believe me, with 12 kids, it was always crowded) there was always room for more. My parents made sure of that. Everyone was welcomed at our table, even (or especially!) people with whom we disagreed.
“Bringing people together at the table to solve problems isn’t just what I do—it’s who I am.”
It also sparked my passion for service.
After earning degrees in Political Science, Public Policy, and Women’s Studies from Western Michigan University and the Lee Honors College, I was a research assistant at the Fetzer Institute on compassion-driven leadership.
I made my home here in the Brandywine area, where I raised a family, became a small business owner and real estate broker, and eventually restored a historic farm with my husband, Vince. Together we co-founded Neighbors for Crebilly, and worked to preserve Crebilly Farm—a cherished part of our community.
I also founded Centreville Place Café + Market—a space where we have created tables for community and conversation—based upon my book, The Civil Graces Project, which is about reclaiming the core values that bring us together and help rebuild our communities.
Serving my community and finding ways to bring us back to those core values is more important now than ever. That’s because too many Harrisburg politicians have no idea what kind of challenges we face, let alone have any ideas on how to solve them.
If you believe in the power of bringing people together around the table to find solutions, then I invite you to pull up a chair and join our team.
