This week One Troy announced the hire of Doretha “Penny” Holmes as the new Project Coordinator as the One Troy project moves into phase two. CEO is deeply involved in this Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative and is excited about the addition of Penny Holmes to the team. Penny comes to One Troy with a wealth of experience working in Troy and being involved in the target area community. She was gracious enough to answer a few questions for us:

What is your experience with the One Troy target area?

My experience is I grew up in Troy. I’m originally from South Troy but have family members that reside in the target area. I have participated in activities in the target area and I’ve always had a special interest in making an impact in the community in which I live.

What will this new role entail?

This new role allows me to impact the community in a positive way by guiding these various projects and organizations through this next phase. I’m looking forward to linking providers together that would not normally be linked and helping them join resources. I’m excited to help make those connections and to help the community better understand what’s available and what’s going on.

What are your goals in your new position?

Joining the projects together and helping the community see that we are all working towards the same cause. We are all serving one community in different ways.

What do you enjoy about what you do?

I enjoy troubleshooting. I enjoy coming up with solutions to the problem and bringing together a diverse group of players. I enjoy meeting people, and I’m looking forward to seeing these projects all come to fruition. This position is interesting to me because I see so much funding out there but it can be hard to connect all of those threads; I see One Troy as the connector. I get to be a butterfly on the wall and watch from the outside but also help guide it all. It’s exciting work.