Established in 2022
It all started when a few neighbors got together to talk about some things we wanted to see in our community.
About
The New Cumberland Collective is an idea: that neighbors and members of the community can come together to make things happen.
Mission
Advance civic engagement and creativity in Central PA, helping changemakers unite people to learn, collaborate, and take action.
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Community building
Whether it’s getting to know your neighbors or feeling like you’re a part of this place we call home, we create space to connect with the community!
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Arts & culture
Whether you’re a musician, painter, or creator - or come from a diverse cultural background, we want to amplify your story.
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Civic engagement
We hope to inspire and excite in a way that makes people want to get involved in their own community.
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Tactical urbanism
Tactical Urbanism is a citizen-led approach to neighborhood building using short-term, low-cost, and scalable interventions to catalyze long-term change.
Our board
Drew Lawrence, Founder & President
Drew is a creative community organizer. He grew up in Hanover, PA and moved to New Cumberland in 2016 with his wife, Blair, and dog, Mabel. Drew graduated from Shippensburg University in 2009 and has worked for a few small ad agencies in Washington, D.C. and Harrisburg before setting out on his own as a creative freelancer in 2021. Drew loves bringing people together using online and offline creative collaboration as a means to foster positive change at a local level. He hopes to inspire others to get involved in their communities, know their neighbors, and get stuff done! In 2023 Drew was elected to New Cumberland Borough Council to advocate for safe streets, community collaboration, and transparent decision making.
Pamela Cullen, Vice President
Pam was raised about two miles from New Cumberland and grew up enjoying much of what the borough had to offer. She then spent nearly two decades away from the area before returning to the area. About eight years ago she settled into a home in New Cumberland that she shares with her wife, son, dog and cat. Pam sees the Collective as a wonderful vehicle for bringing additional cultural events, inclusion, and service to New Cumberland. Her day job is extremely analytical and she appreciates getting to use different parts of her brain through her Collective work. Pam plans to focus her contributions in on the arts (particularly film and music) and community service. New Cumberland is a great town and Pam is honored to help spread that message to all New Cumberland community members and visitors.
Jon Crum
Jon is a lifelong Pennsylvania resident. After growing up in the middle of south central PA orchards (in a house, of course), I earned a bachelor's degree in Biology from Albright College and a graduate degree in Environmental Science and Management from Duquesne. It was during the latter in which I started gaining a better understanding of how sustainability, diversity, and mobility strengthen communities. For 18 years, I’ve worked at the Federal Highway Administration, specializing in environmental protection, transportation planning, and multi-modal safety. In 2011, my wife and I moved to New Cumberland to start a family. We now have two girls, a dog, a cat, and a lot of great friends, and we appreciate all the town has to offer and its tremendous potential. That potential led me to become more involved in community events and initiatives, such as the development of the community garden as part of New Cumberland revitalization. My interests include safe streets, sustainability, music, arts and culture, which I believe are key to a strong, diverse community.
Skye Leppo
Skye grew up in Harrisburg and enjoyed a childhood that consisted of running around in Riverfront Park, treasured family meals at places like The Gingerbread Man and the OG Neato Burrito, before moving to Philadelphia to study and chase a career as a writer. After multiple gigs in journalism in a few newsrooms around PA, she now works in social media, and returned to Harrisburg in 2020 to be closer to friends and family. After checking out lots of neighborhoods and communities for the right place to put down some roots and become more civically engaged, Skye and her fiancé bought a house in New Cumberland in July 2022 and were immediately energized about the potential to make this awesome borough an even more inclusive and fun place to live.
Sandi Kraybill, Treasurer
After living here for over 40 years & raising two now-adult children in the Borough, the number of committees, associations & programs I have organized and participated in is too numerous to count. I couldn’t be happier to add The New Cumberland Collective to that list. What excites me the most about joining The Collective is working with a group of hard-working, forward-thinking, inclusive people that have no personal agendas and only want the best things for New Cumberland. I would love to see The Collective create a diverse selection of activities, events and places where people of all backgrounds can come together to provide many different opportunities to learn & experience new things.
Zachariah Beaver
Zach grew up in Greencastle, PA. He was fortunate to grow up in a small town with a thriving local DIY music scene, despite the lack of traditional venues, and the experience gave him a passion for curating and organizng community spaces for art and music. Zach and his wife, Kara, moved to New Cumberland in 2017. He first became aware of the Collective when he performed at a Wind Down concert in Drew's backyard, and from there got involved with planning, booking, and emceeing the Wind Down Concert Series at the West Shore Theatre. After joining the planning committee for the NC Music and Film Festival and getting more involved with the overall work of the Collective, Zach joined the Board of Directors in May of 2023.
Jessica Law, Secretary
Jes’ love for history initially brought her to visit central Pennsylvania in 2020, but experiencing the vibrant communities, beautiful parks, and unique local culture inspired her to settle in Harrisburg in 2023. Professionally, Jes freelances as an accomplished Communications Strategist & Marketing Project Manager with a passion for social justice and a dedication to providing the best client experience possible. She first connected with the New Cumberland Collective by attending their Wind Down concert series at the West Shore Theatre and promptly answered their call for volunteers by taking on a co-organizing role for 2024’s Music & Film Festival. Jes is a certified aerial YogaTrapeze instructor, documentary film fiend, budding musician, and creative spirit. Whether it’s hosting dinner parties, hitting up a trivia night, performing on stage or enjoying a good laugh at the Harrisburg Improv Theatre, Jes is always up for connecting with others and embracing new experiences.
Tim Servinsky, Jr.
Tim grew up in Camp Hill, bounced around the Philly suburbs and Harrisburg area for a bit, and then settled in New Cumberland with his partner and dog in 2018. He loves the area's thriving arts community and has performed with numerous organizations, including Theatre Harrisburg, The Harrisburg Singers, and the York and Harrisburg Symphonies. Tim also enjoys asking lots of questions, which he has done as a public opinion researcher for Penn State Harrisburg since 2007. He wants to use his passions for research and data to track the pulse of New Cumberland and continue the amazing work that he Collective has done. In his free time, Tim enjoys playing board and video games, singing, attending live theatre and concerts, and going to escape rooms.
Cady Sullivan
A lifelong Central PA resident, Cady has lived in downtown New Cumberland with her husband and two dogs for over 10 years and loves everything this vibrant small town has to offer. She currently works in healthcare fundraising and is passionate about connecting people with causes in the community that matter most to them. In her free time, you can find her and her Australian shepherd, Wren, participating in dog sports like flyball and agility. New Cumberland is already a wonderful place to live, and Cady is enthusiastic about the opportunity to enrich the community through events and initiatives that provide a space for people of all backgrounds to come together.
Alana Bubnis
Bio coming soon!
Avary Sassaman
Bio coming soon!
co:founders
it takes all kinds for a community to thrive. co:founders are folks who donated to our organization in 2022, when the Collective was born!
Alexander Zemaitis @oversatur8d
Alicia Dietz @i_am_mrs_dietz
Magical Creatureland @magicalcreatureland
Sarah @sthrenhauser
Katie Rice @riceontheice
Northern Gloom @_northerngloom_
Andrew @andrewjbz
cypher labs @cypher___labs
Grateful Grains Bread Company @gratefulgrainsbreadcompany
Mateo Moses @mo_eighty7
Ann Marie Irvine @annmarieirvine
Nicky Smith @nicky13smith
Lindsey Loyd @lindsloyd
Gabriel Guevara @guava_guevara
Jeanne Shellman
Elizabeth Iwanowski
Matt Roan
Nancy J Smith
Faith Curran
Beverly Lynn
Cindy Washburn
Stephanie Durburow Fletcher
Sanya Yeh Norbu
Diana Dawa
Julie Lane Purcell
Ronald Gallegos-Groppe