October Take 5

Megan Crowe's best-laid plans

MEGAN CROWE spends a lot of time thinking about the future. The senior planner for Pender County supervises a staff of three other planners as part of the government’s planning and community development division. A graduate of SUNY Cortland University in New York, she joined Pender’s staff about three years ago after earning a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in May 2013. Working to balance what residents want with rapid growth, Crowe says one of the most fun things about her jobs is playing a role in how the path of a community is shaped.

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR BIGGEST STRENGTHS ARE? “I like interacting with people, and I think that this job allows that. Not only do I interact with the boards, explaining the projects and presenting them before the applicants come up, but day to day I meet with folks from the county.” WHAT INSPIRES YOU? “I will say that I do have a deep-rooted faith in God, and I think a lot of my recharging and recentering comes from that faith.” WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO VISIT? “I like being out on the water … We (she and her husband, Ryan) go out on the boat almost every weekend.” WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS? “I’m still very new to this; I’m twenty-seven years old and came here out of school, so I feel very fortunate that the county has invested in me and that I have support from my boss (Kyle Breuer) … I don’t know where I’ll be in five years, that’s a really tough one, but I’m just really thankful they took a chance on me.” WHAT KIND OF BOOKS DO YOU LIKE TO READ? “I’m reading a book by Shauna Niequist, Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living, right now. I’m really working on that in my life, investing in the moment.”

To view more of photographer Chris Brehmer's work, go to www.chrisbrehmerphotography.com