Director, Sustainable Communities Collaborative

As the program manager for the Sustainable Communities Collaborative, Ilona works closely with faculty, students, and community partners to ensure meaningful, experiential student projects focused on the sustainability needs of the community. Coordination involves strategic goal setting, planning, and ongoing communications between partners, culminating in a student-community exposition.

Ilona honed her skills in community engagement as the executive director of the non-profit Huntingdon County Arts Council, which she led to become one of the community’s major cultural hubs and assets. She has a BS in Industrial Technology from West Virginia State University and an MPS in Community and Economic Development from Penn State. She is also trained as a Blueprint Communities Facilitator through the FHLB and PA Downtown Center and Heart & Soul community development techniques. She is a successful grants writer and administrator, and serves on numerous community organizations and boards.

She resides with her husband in McAlevy’s Fort, in Huntingdon County.