Staff: Allison Wardlaw, Program Director of Michigan Foreclosure Prevention Corps
Allison (Treppa) Wardlaw is the Michigan Foreclosure Prevention Corps Program Director. She works with AmeriCorps members across the state to build the capacity of nonprofit foreclosure counseling agencies to serve homeowners in Michigan. Prior to joining CEDAM, she served as the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA), overseeing the print, electronic and social media for the organization.
Allison is passionate about the change that national service can make in Michigan communities. In addition to her experience at MNA, Allison was responsible for launching the Michigan Service Scholars AmeriCorps Program and worked with a 5-state collaborative to expand service and civic engagement opportunities for Michigan college students.
Allison was raised in Metro Detroit and currently lives in Lansing with her husband Ron. Allison possesses Bachelors’ degrees in Business Administration and Japanese from Eastern Michigan University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Western Michigan University.
Q&A with Allison:
What drives your passion for neighborhood / community and economic development?
I want the community I live in to be vibrant and healthy, creating a positive quality of life for me and my family. Everyone can be a part of creating a better community and it starts with the desire to do better. There are so many opportunities that come with a great quality of life and those should be available to everyone in Michigan.
Why do you love Michigan?
Michigan has everything. With the changing seasons and activities, you never become bored with life. There are always exciting events to look forward to and good people to spend time with. I love the warmth of the summer, the stillness of winter and the smell of fall (not to mention football season). There is no other place I’d rather be.
How do your family and/or community inspire your work?
Volunteering has always been part of my family life and the older I get, the more I realize how formative those experiences were. I have always wanted for my work to have meaning and to be able to truly impact communities – this is the perfect place for that.
What do you do in your free time (if it exists!)?
I would love to have an awesome garden so I’m trying to figure out how to identify whether the plants are either flowers or weeds and then I’ll figure out how to build it. I love MSU football, camping, traveling, card making and spending time with family and friends.
Updated September 9, 2011