Women on the Move
Women on the Move
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How does a zoology major end up in the nation’s capital working on issues of international trade? Ask Oregon’s Brownfields Program/Policy Coordinator Karen Homolac, who, as an international trade economist with the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration had the opportunity to help develop the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement, which would later serve as the framework for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). “My science background made me feel comfortable with a lot of issues,” says Homolac, who holds a master’s degree in economics. After a three-year stint with California’s Trade and Commerce Agency, she moved to Oregon, where she’s been coordinating statewide projects for six years. “When you get started on these projects, it’s like a mystery. You’ve got to find out what’s there, and how to overcome the obstacles.” | ||
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Growing up in a small Indiana town, Belinda Morris saw what happened when big industry took its leave for newer surroundings. Buildings that once teemed with workers hovering over automobile assembly lines became casualties of a waning economy—and as such—were written off and shuttered. This inspired Morris and her husband to open their first recycling plant in 1989. Nearly 20 years later, Green Tech is opening one of the biggest recycling plants in northwest Indiana. “It was really troubling seeing all these old facilities and no one wants to touch them,” says Morris, an Indiana University alum. Green Tech recently opened another facility in South Bend that was constructed with recyclable materials. In recognition of Green Tech’s tremendous strides in the recycling business, it has been awarded the Govenor’s award for environmental excellence in recycling. | ||
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In Golden, British Columbia, Cleo Corbett is surrounded by beauty every day. As Golden’s Manager of Development Services, Corbett considers her picturesque environs an occupational perk. But with over 30 brownfields in the area—remnants of the town’s industrial past—Corbett has her work cut out for her. Nevertheless, she approaches the task with zeal. “I love seeing the public’s input and vision for the future being turned into reality,” says Corbett, who moved to Golden after spending two years as a city planner for Nanaimo, B.C., a coastal town on Vancouver Island. With input from residents, she’s currently helping Golden transform an old workyard into a mixed-use complex, complete with daycare. When she isn’t working, Corbett, an actress, spends time with her partner (who works for a neighboring town) and plays the guitar. | ||
* Brownfield Safe Drinking Water Program & Policy coordinator, Oregon Economic & Community Development Department, Salem, Ore. ** co-founder, Green Tech South Bend, Ind. *** manager of Development Services/Planning, Town of Golden, Alberta, Canada |
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