Candidate’s Biographical Sketch

Catherine Girves
2300 Indianola Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43202
District: #1

Length of time living in the University Area: 23 years

Number of years as a resident or years involved with the neighborhood: 23 years

Occupation: Director and co-founder of the University Area Enrichment Association, an organization dedicated to improving quality of life for the people who live, work, attend school, worship or volunteer in the neighborhoods around Ohio State University.

Commissioner Statement – Please state in 200 words or less, what particular experience and qualifications you can offer the University Area Commission. Please write information about your issues, concerns, goals for the neighborhood, personal information, etc. This section will be limited to 200 words.

I moved to the University Area in 1982 for convenience, it became a neighborhood of choice. The perfect place to raise a family.

My family lives within walking distance of an ice skating rink, a beautiful city park, a well-programmed recreation center, a world class art gallery, the richest public library system in the country, several bus routes, two wooded ravines, and some of the city's best kite flying at OSU's arboretum. We are in the midst of some the city's best restaurants, many specialty grocers, and three major grocery chains. There are extraordinary educational opportunities here. We have listened to Noble Prize Laureates talk physics, studied fencing with a former Olympic Coach, attended astronomy lectures in the planetarium, watched the creation of internationally acclaimed dance pieces, and witnessed the transformation of a dead tree into a work of art.

I have wonderful young adult neighbors eager to help me in their areas of study and equally eager to play. I have longtime resident neighbors with a deep commitment to making the world a better place. My goal as Commissioner is to share and celebrate this place and work with others to directly face and remedy the challenges before us.

UAC Committees/Positions – If a current or past commissioner, please list the committees that you serve on and any positions you hold or have held in the past with UAC.

Current Leadership Positions – Recording Secretary Autumn 2004 – present, Chair Planning Committee

Current Committee Assignments – Governance (3rd year), and Planning (2nd year);

Former Leadership Positions - Chair Rules and Reference Committee July 2002 - July 2003; Corresponding Secretary July 2002 - July 2003; Second Vice President July 2003 – June 2004.

Former Committee Assignments - Community and Public Relations 2002-2003, Code Enforcement and Safety 2002-2003

Community Involvement/Education/Occupation – Provide a list of community activities, positions in other groups, educational background, etc.

In the last 28 years I have volunteered in over 100 community organizations. The focus of my volunteer work has been to gather people around a common vision to empower individuals, organizations and communities. I have done this in different ways in a variety of organizations, but the key themes of my volunteer work include: mentoring emerging leaders, coordinating volunteers and staff, fundraising, disseminating information internally and to the public, public speaking, and connecting people with common goals.

I am a graduate of Centennial High School (1982), and have a Bachelor of Science (Business Administration - 1986), and a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science - 1991) both from The Ohio State University.