Michelle Thyen has served the community through her work with Brain Injury Services Inc. in Springfield. A South Riding resident who has lived in Maryland and Milan, Italy, Thyen is devoted to educating the public about brain injury, and also finds time to raise a family, travel and volunteer with Pets on Wheels.
Number of years in the community: I have been living in the Northern Virginia community for five years.
Family: I am married to a wonderful guy, William Thyen, and am the proud mommy of 9-month-old Marielle Taylor Thyen.
Education: I graduated from Loyola College with a B.A. in communications and marketing and went on to pursue graduate studies at Goucher College in public relations and nonprofit management.
Occupation/Position: Presently, I am the volunteer development specialist with Brain Injury Services Inc. in Springfield.
Achievements/Awards: My achievements thus far include completing requirements to attain my CVA Ñ Certified Volunteer Administrator Ñ so that I am qualified to build and manage volunteer programs at any corporate or nonprofit organization. Recently, I have been able to build four programs at Brain injury Services, many of which have received community awards and media attention for the program's impact on the community.
Activities/Interests/Hobbies: Activities include cooking, exercising, reading, speaking French and Italian, and being the best Mommy I can be.
Favorite local restaurant or place in the community: Favorite local restaurant is Coastal Flats and my favorite Northern Virginia spot is anywhere in South Riding, where I live.
What are your community concerns? What are some ideas you have on ways to improve your community? I am always interested in educating the community on brain injury and feel that not enough people are informed about how to prevent brain injury and exactly what it is. The speaker's bureau of brain injury services, a group of survivors who speak about their life stories, is one way that I can help to spread the word.
What brought you here? My husband's job brought me to Northern Virginia. He is a State Farm life insurance agent in Centreville.
What community "hidden treasure" do you think more people should know about? "Hidden treasures" of the area include the great community and rec. centers we have.
Where did you grow up? I grew up in New Jersey when I was very young and then moved to Milan, Italy, for a few years with my family then finally settled in Rockville, Md., until college.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years I hope to be continuing to work with survivors of brain injury while raising my family in South Riding.
Personal goals: Personal goals for myself include always having ethics and dignity when managing all of my programs, having one or two more children, volunteering with Pets on Wheels and traveling.
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