Alumni Profile: Natalie Heneghan (M. HSPH '21)
Read about HSPH alumna Natalie Heneghan ('21). She is now an Education Manager at Places Reimagined.
Why did you choose HSPH?
HSPH centers community, diversity, and culture in ways that other programs don't, or can't. I know some other master's programs in preservation are evolving to ensure their students are equipped to work across cultures or are well-versed in community engagement strategies. But HSPH was *built* on these values; they weren't added after the fact. That was an important distinction as I decided to go back to school.
What do you do in your current position?
My job is to help people reuse and take good care of old buildings. I create classes that teach people maintenance, rehab, and restoration skills. My driving goal is to democratize knowledge about old buildings. I want to ensure everyone has access to the resources, tools, and skills they need in order to take care of places they love. I'm also a huge advocate for built environment sustainability, meaning I support policies and projects that keep existing building materials out of the trash and that reduce our reliance on producing new things. Preservation is inherently a sustainable practice; educating communities about salvage, material reuse, deconstruction, and improving energy efficiency is core to my work.
