Introducing Brit Hotaling, Development Associate
Hello everyone!
My name is Brit Hotaling, and I am very much looking forward to serving the Catskill Center as their new Development Associate. My focus will be working on new and innovative ways to track all elements of funding for the organization, as well as working with events within the community and further spreading the Catskill Center's mission of protecting and fostering the environmental, cultural, and economic well- being of the Catskill region.
I graduated from State University of New York, College at Oneonta in May of 2014 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communication, which led to my in depth involvement with WONY 90.9 Red Dragon Radio- both as a member of the Music Department Staff and subsequently, as Music Director. As such, I worked closely with members of the Public Relations Department to organize and execute showcases for the benefit of the station and the community at large.
After graduation, I found myself at bit of a cross-roads in my career and wasn't sure what direction I wanted to pursue exactly, but I did know that I wanted to help people or be involved with some sort of environmental advocacy while also using my degree. After doing some job searching and considering applying to serve in Peace Corps but not finding a program that fit my specific experience, a friend referred me to the AmeriCorps program.
AmeriCorps was founded in 1963 by Lyndon B Johnson, as a form of domestic Peace Corps, similar in that it involves a living stipend and assigned nonprofit, and that it was established to allow Americans to focus on helping fellow Americans living in poverty- serving the aptly named initiative "War on Poverty."
I found I really liked the idea of a one year service program that allowed me to help people in the area I grew up in, and instantly jumped at the chance. About a month later, I was hired and assigned to Schoharie Area Long Term in the town of Schoharie, about 30 minutes from where I grew up. Throughout the year, I was able to continue coordinating events, and through the contacts I made there I discovered, and subsequently started volunteering at WIOX 91.3 FM as a weekly show host. In the midst of all of this, I began work in May of this past year on a small artist management startup called Grassroots Artist Management, which had its first showcase, Brattleblues, in Brattleboro VT this past September.
It was at this point I started looking for a way to incorporate a strong interest in environmental issues and conservation into my job hunt for my next career move, as I had already decided I wanted to stick with nonprofits- and stumbled upon the Development Associate position opening at the Catskill Center by mere happenstance when a friend mentioned it to me, and it truly was just the perfect timing and combination of aspects that I am both passionate about and interested in.
On a more personal note, I still have a weekly show on WIOX, am currently working on getting a podcast up and running, try my best to get to various open mic nights, jump at most chances for freelance writing gigs, have a strong affinity for dogs- and an even stronger one for Thai food.
I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can, and always feel free to drop me a line at bhotaling@catskillcenter.org
Since 1969, the Catskill Center has led the effort to protect the Catskills. Our Mission is to protect and foster the environmental, cultural and economic well-being of the Catskill region. Become a member of the Catskill Center today to support our work.