STV Team Member Keeps it Local, Invests in Bettering Waco Community

Jennifer Boen, a group manager in our Waco, TX, office demonstrated her commitment to her local community through her involvement in Leadership Waco, a community leadership program led by the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce.

Leadership Waco brings together business and civic leaders for a one-year immersive program that engages with the Waco community and develops solutions that improve residents’ quality of life. From professional development courses to meetings with local leaders, community organizations, businesses, schools, and more, Boen was able to see another side of her hometown – and represent STV in the process.

“As the only consultant from my field, I developed key connections with government officials and companies based in Waco,” Boen said. The cohort also visited SpaceX’s headquarters and the Magnolia Silos, where STV has previously performed architecture, survey, site design and utilities services for multiple spaces at the Silos.

One of Leadership Waco’s cornerstones is its community impact project, where each class selects a local organization to benefit. This year’s cohort selected Brook Avenue Elementary School, a public school in a lower-income neighborhood whose outdoor garden had fallen into disrepair. Through fundraising and on-the-ground efforts, Boen and her cohort raised $21,900 and transformed the forgotten space into a brand-new garden and outdoor learning space complete with an all-weather whiteboard, tool shed, cedar planters, benches and tables, and rainwater collection bins.

Boen also enlisted the help of STV’s team of architects, who developed renderings that were instrumental in the project’s fundraising efforts.

The project was recently celebrated at a ribbon-cutting event attended by the Leadership Waco cohort and Brook Avenue students. The project is the largest-scale, community-driven Leadership Waco project to date and provides students and teachers with a multipurpose learning space.

“Leadership Waco and other Chamber of Commerce programs are invaluable for our employees’ personal growth and are a unique opportunity for STV to build relationships with local leaders,” said Jeremy Boswell, STV’s chief development officer. “STV’s legacy with programs like this helps demonstrate how our firm and our employees are leaders in the community. I’m proud of Jennifer’s commitment to building a stronger community while growing herself professionally and serving as an invaluable partner to the Waco community and Central Texas region.”

Image courtesy of Transformation Waco