Meet the Newest PA SHPO Staff!

I’m happy to introduce you to our newest PA SHPO staffers! We are very excited to have Jennifer Thornton join us as our National Register Coordinator, Ashley Respet as part of the above ground Environmental Review team, and Alex O’Gorman as the Historic Property Inspection Program Coordinator.

I asked each of them to answer a few questions to help us get to know them.

Jennifer

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I am from Bloomington/Normal in central Illinois. I earned my BA in Anthropology and Spanish at Grinnell College in Iowa and then moved to New Mexico to begin a career in cultural resource management. I worked for the US Forest Service and learned to love the arid Southwest.

After realizing that something called Public History existed, I went back to school and earned my master’s and PhD degrees in History, with a focus in Public History and Historic Preservation. Starting in 2018, I was a Teaching Assistant Professor at West Virginia University, where I taught a wide range of cultural resource management, historic preservation, and local history classes. I love exploring new places and couldn’t be more pleased to be joining the PA SHPO.

Jennifer Thornton

What you do at the PA SHPO?

At the PA SHPO, I shepherd historic properties through the nomination process for the National Register of Historic Places, from the initial determination of eligibility to formal listing. In the process, I get to learn about amazing places in Pennsylvania while working closely with other PA SHPO staff, our Preservation Board, preservation consultants, the National Park Service, property owners, and other stakeholders. It is a great job!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. As a child (and honestly sometimes still to this day!) adulthood seemed like something impossible to imagine. While my career interests were always vague, one concrete interest that I have carried from my childhood into adulthood is my love of reading and learning new things.

What made you choose this as your career path?

My PhD advisor once said that, as a child, she was always the one who sat a little longer listening to her grandparents’ stories. This resonated with me. I love getting to see cool old buildings and going down research rabbit holes, but what drew me to history is a love for stories.

What is something fun/quirky that you like to do in your spare time or that others might not know about you?

While I was writing my dissertation on Southern California, I was living in Okinawa, Japan. Every time I had writer’s block I would drive to the beach and go shelling.

What is the number one thing you would like people to know about historic preservation?

That historic preservation is more about our future than it is about the past.

What are you most looking forward to in 2024?

The main thing that I am looking forward to is getting out and seeing as much of PA as I can!

Ashley

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Originally born in Tampa, FL, I moved to Johnstown, PA where I was raised for the better part of my childhood. After serving four years in the United States Navy as a helicopter mechanic, I attended Western Michigan University and earned a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with a minor in Religion. I participated in the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Field School in Niles, MI.

Upon graduation, I moved back to Johnstown and completed a historic preservation internship through the Student Conservation Association at Laurel Hill State Park. I was fortunate enough to remain onboard at Laurel Hill after the end of my internship as their seasonal Environmental Education Specialist, continuing to work on historic preservation efforts within the park complex. Following a brief stint with the Department of Labor and Industry as a Disability Claims Adjudicator, I happily accepted a position here at the PA SHPO in December 2023.

Ashley Respet

What you do at the PA SHPO?

I am one of the PA SHPO’s above ground environmental review specialists. I review state and federally funded/permitted projects in an effort to evaluate their effects on above ground cultural resources, as well as assist and advise state and federal agencies in the consideration of above ground cultural resources in their project planning and programs.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to study veterinary medicine. I’ve always had a soft spot for furry friends in need!

What made you choose this as your career path?

As someone with quite a diverse background in the workforce, I came to realize that the one and only job that has ever truly inspired and excited me is historic preservation. I’m a firm believer in the old adage “find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”.

What is something fun/quirky that you like to do in your spare time or that others might not know about you?

Gardening and canning are my favorite hobbies. Throughout the summer I tend to a large garden with a variety of fruits and veggies. Homemade applesauce, apple bread, zucchini bread, blackberry pie, and salsa are among my favorites to bake, can, freeze, or preserve in the fall. We also have a small indoor greenhouse to continue growing our veggies all year long!

What is the number one thing you would like people to know about historic preservation?

Historic preservation provides a tangible connection to our past. It is up to all of us to foster awareness and invoke a sense of stewardship for our cultural resources so that this connection remains for generations to come.

What are you most looking forward to in 2024?

I have the honor of working with a fantastic and inspirational group of people here at the SHPO. I’m looking forward to learning from the best of the best and expanding my knowledge in hopes of becoming a valuable member of a great team!

Alex

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I grew up in Hillsborough, New Jersey. In 2017, I received a bachelor’s degree in history from Randolph-Macon College – Go Yellow Jackets! – in Ashland, Virginia. I moved from Ashland to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the hope of working in Philadelphia’s public history sphere and attending graduate school. Soon after, I received a master’s degree in history with a concentration in public history from Temple University.

While at Temple, my thesis research ignited my passion for historic preservation and the use of history for promoting societal and infrastructural change. And working at the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office allows me to do just that! Best of all, I am surrounded by a multitude of co-workers who share my same passion for history and historic preservation. In addition to work, I enjoy hiking the Wissahickon Valley and other trails throughout Pennsylvania and playing guitar in my spare time.

Alex O’Gorman

What you do at the PA SHPO?

I am a recent addition to the Preservation Incentives Division – woohoo! – and I am very happy to be here. I am the Historic Property Inspection Program Coordinator and a Historic Preservation Incentives Specialist at the PA SHPO.

My roles include the review and completion of Part 1 Tax Credit submissions; answer questions related to aboveground resources eligibility status for possible Keystone grant applicants; act as a liaison between the Preservation Incentives Division and National Register department; and to continue the Historic Property Inspection Program by providing in-person site visits, assistance, guidance, and support to our current covenant properties throughout the commonwealth.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Musician/artist. I wanted to play music, write music, and paint.

What made you choose this as your career path?

Questions! Sometime during my senior year of undergrad, I began questioning why certain buildings stand in certain areas and how a surrounding environment (both built and natural) impacts the needs and uses for certain buildings. These questions continue to guide my everyday work. Just the other day, I began researching Pittsburgh’s steel history after reviewing a Part 1 application for The Mackintosh-Hemphill Company Garrison and Foundry.

What is something fun/quirky that you like to do in your spare time or that others might not know about you?

I have an old 1994 BMW K75 motorcycle (sorry, Mom!) that is an absolute joy to ride and which I use to adventure around to new hiking and backpacking sites and locations in Pennsylvania. I especially like to ride along the rolling hills of Chester and Lancaster counties – some of the best rolling hills you will see close to Philadelphia.

What is the number one thing you would like people to know about historic preservation?

Always pay attention to place and space when evaluating anything in the built or natural environment. Look at an object or building top to bottom, left to right, and find something that may not belong or that you have to question – I can guarantee there is a meaning or statement behind mostly every perfection, imperfection, and everything in between.

What are you most looking forward to in 2024?

I look forward to more outdoor/camping/backpacking adventures and exploring more of PA – what a massive state we are all fortunate enough to live in!