New Employee Spotlight: Meet Sally Warren
Posted January 25, 2023
With a few decades of volunteer experience on the municipal level, we are excited to welcome CCPC's newest member to the Admin Team, Sally Warren! Sally has been able to hit the ground running as she understands some of what CCPC does. "The Planning Commission has so many great resources and expertise among the planning staff," Sally notes. "I'm proud to be a part of this team."
Sally was first introduced to CCPC while serving on the Kennett Square Borough Comprehensive Plan Update committee back in 1999. "During the 2000s, I was very involved in the revitalization of Kennett Square and educating the public about the historic resources in the Borough," she said. Sally was also responsible for the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival's first mention in the Sunday New York Times Travel Section — helping to put Kennett on the national radar!
Sally is especially excited to support the county's Heritage Preservation, Sustainability, and Open Space Protection initiatives.
"I bring the perspective of a local volunteer doing difficult preservation work on the municipal level. I'm enjoying learning more about the historic resources throughout the 73 municipalities in Chester County. Celebrating and saving historical resources can be challenging when people don't know the history or value or uniqueness to a setting or building. Education is key. I love seeing adaptive reuse instead of demolition, because once a resource is gone, it is removed from public awareness. History is such a great teacher and some older building techniques were superior to today's techniques, making reuse a great option that honors the past."
Originally from Boston, MA, as well as Reading, PA, Sally attended Temple University where she spent a year living in Rome studying art history. After graduating, Sally lived and worked in Philadelphia for a decade before moving to Kennett Square Borough where she and her family restored a historic home (c.1879). Currently, Sally resides in London Britain Township with her family.
Since moving to London Britain Township, one of Sally's favorite places is the White Clay Creek Preserve, as it is the only "Preserve" in the Commonwealth and is filled with history dating back to William Penn and frontier Pennsylvania. "The history of the Mason-Dixon line is fascinating," Sally said. "In many ways the frontier character is still alive in this area of the county."
In her spare time, Sally can likely be found traveling as she believes "travel is one of the great joys of life." She also enjoys visiting historical sites and museums, exercising, cooking, reading, hiking, and music (especially playing old records). Recently, she and her family took a trip to the John James Audubon Center which features a brand-new child-friendly museum and hiking trails.
Another more recent hobby of Sally's is learning about solar energy, solar renewable energy credits, sustainable gardening, and electric vehicles — to which she adds "it's been an interesting learning curve."
When asked what her favorite life motto is, Sally said that on understanding others, a friend once reminded her that everyone has a story. "Everyone has to face life's challenges. Let's cut each other some slack. On defining myself, I love what Eleanor Roosevelt once said, 'Don't let others define you. Define yourself.'"
Sally is the proud mother of two Eagle Scouts and the proud stepmother of a pediatric nurse and a US Naval Chief Petty Officer who has served around the world. "I hope all Americans appreciate what our service men and women, and our healthcare workers — especially nurses — do and sacrifice every day for our nation and our way of life."
We look forward to working with Sally!