University Heights Neighborhood Association welcomed a new member to its board of directors on May 6.
Donelle Blubaugh was unanimously elected to fill the role of treasurer, vacated in April by Joel Thomas. Thomas has been instrumental in keeping the spark of UHNA going through a couple of incarnations of the neighborhood association and said he was saddened to leave but felt the demands of his personal and professional life wouldn’t allow him to continue to help lead UHNA at the level he would prefer.
Blubaugh moved to Springfield from Washington, D.C., in June 2019 and joined UHNA almost immediately thereafter. Her professional background includes managing programs and budgets for nonprofit organizations such as PBS and the Software and Information Industry Association. After years of working on national initiatives, she is eager to spend more time engaged with local activities and issues.
Blubaugh says she found welcoming connections to her neighborhood through the University Heights Neighborhood Association. “UHNA is a catalyst for preserving the neighborhood’s unique character and for connecting its residents with the city at large as Springfield moves forward. I am delighted to contribute,” she says.
The board is eager to move forward on initiatives put on hold by the pandemic and explore new ways to pursue its mission statement to “celebrate, preserve and enhance the qualities that make University Heights unique, maintaining the neighborhood as a vibrant, desirable community for living and playing.”
UHNA continues to meet at 5:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month (except July, which was pushed to July 8 for the holiday) via Zoom until further notice. Anyone interested in joining the monthly board meeting online is welcome to email universityheightsneighborhood@gmail.com for login info.