SUPPORTING MIDDLEBURY’S BACKBONE:
Sheri Howland and Carmen Carpenter
Written by Chris Wheeler Photos by Linnea Wheeler
followed her to Middlebury as community outreach coordinator.
In 2016, Sheri Howland had just completed 16 years of work with the community of Goshen in their parks department, capping off many more years serving the city of Mishawaka in similar roles. She was planning her retirement when she received a call from her friend Mary Cripe (Middlebury’s town manager) with an offer she couldn’t refuse: join the team in Middlebury at the Chamber of Commerce. Two years later, Carmen Carpenter, who had worked with Sheri in Mishawaka for over 20 years,
Since then, Sheri and Carmen have become mainstays of the Middlebury community, fostering partnerships, supporting new and longstanding businesses, acting as community liaisons, and serving visitors and residents in any way they can. Sheri says, “I love the challenge of making things better, of serving people and seeing a community be so vibrant. That’s what Middlebury is all about and why I love it. That’s why I’ve been in Elkhart County all this time. This is where my heart is.”
If it’s your child’s first day of school or first year at college
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