Welcome Aboard, Sandra Pomeleo-Fowler

Today we welcome Sandra Pomeleo-Fowler as our new Development Associate. Sandra is excited to be joining Village Preservation, and looks forward to supporting and working with our dedicated member community.

Sandra is originally from Dripping Springs, Texas. Growing up in the country sparked her interest in how people make their homes and livelihoods off of the land, and how communities are formed around land and infrastructure. She is also an artist who has created several site-specific works exploring historical memory and the materials of a place, such as reclaimed wood and landscape features. As a newcomer to New York, she enjoys learning about the history of the city from those who have made their home here for decades. 

In 2018 Sandra moved to Western Massachusetts to earn her BA in Studio Art and Anthropology at Smith College, where she graduated summa cum laude last year. During her time at Smith, she joined the Museum Studies concentration program, conducting research and gaining professional experience in the field alongside like-minded peers. This led to her first nonprofit position as Program Coordinator at Austin-based Latinx arts organization La Peña. She completed multiple successful projects with La Peña, including their first two virtual gallery exhibitions and a digital interview series with participating artists. Alongside these projects she assisted with city grant applications and grassroots fundraising — her introduction to development work. For her Museum Studies capstone project, she researched small, cultural heritage nonprofits and the issues that they faced navigating the pandemic, many of which are systemic inequities faced by women, queer, and BIPOC-led organizations. She ultimately wrote and presented a working “digital handbook” with creative marketing and fundraising strategies to circumvent these challenges. 

After moving to New York in 2022, Sandra was immediately taken in by the layered beauty and intensity of downtown Manhattan, particularly the East and West Village. One year later, she says she feels incredibly privileged to contribute to Village Preservation’s mission and join our team. And we’re very pleased to have her.