Toni Reece: Hi there. This is Toni Reece, and welcome to the Get Inspired! Project for Berks County Living magazine. Today my guest is Ann Fioravanti. Welcome.
Ann Fioravanti: Hi. Thank you.
Toni: So Ann, take a moment and tell us a little bit about yourself.
Ann: Well, I’ve been a Berks Countian my whole life. I currently work for Tompkins VIST Bank in the marketing department. I’ve been there for 15 years. I’m the AVP of Marketing. I volunteer on the cabinet of ELU—Emerging Leaders United—for the United Way. I’m very proud of that fact. Also, on a personal note, I have a 4-year-old and a soon to be 6-year-old, so I’m a little busy.
Toni: Gosh, it sounds like you’re busy. My goodness. Well, thank you for making the time to come to the project.
Ann: Thank you.
Toni: So, let’s go into that. What does inspiration mean to you?
Ann: Inspiration I feel like is something that happens day to day, on my day-to-day life, both professionally and personally. It’s something, that feeling you get just from those basic interactions with one another. I really couldn’t narrow it down, to be honest with you. I was thinking very hard, and there’s three things that I feel really inspire me, and one is giving back to the community. Another is creativity. The third one is hearing and listening to people’s stories.
Toni: Okay. So, when you know in those three things that you are inspired, is it something that you feel, that you recognize? Do you know when it happens?
Ann: Sometimes you get those little bumps on your arms and the chills. I mean, like I’m talking day to day. I’m talking about my kids. When you can see things through your kid’s eyes and forgot what that was like, that is just amazing.
Toni: It’s the feel-goods.
Ann: Yes.
Toni: The warm and fuzzies.
Ann: Yeah.
Toni: Okay. When you, in any of those three areas, when you are inspired, how do you take any of those and put them into practice here in Berks County?
Ann: Well, once again, I’m a marketing officer, so creativity is very important. My mother was an artist and a teacher, and it’s something that she has really encouraged me, and I’m glad I can do that both professionally, to be creative, and seeing it like I said with my kids and my husband. It’s fabulous.
Toni: Then also you had said about giving back to the community—you’re inspired to do so.
Ann: Yes.
Toni: Do you have to be inspired to pick an organization to work with, or is it just something that kind of creeps up on you?
Ann: No, absolutely not. I feel I was inspired because I heard the messaging of the United Way and what they were doing with young people in this area, trying to really get involved and to volunteer; to understand the needs the community has. I just was glad I could be a part of it and be part of the cabinet to help make decisions like that.
Toni: When you are inspired to be creative, does that flow into those other two areas as well?
Ann: Yes.
Toni: How so?
Ann: When we have meetings or we’re planning for different volunteer events, I always think of different ways that we can get more people involved, different methods of communication, those kinds of things.
Toni: It all goes together, doesn’t it?
Ann: Yes.
Toni: Who in Berks County inspires you?
Ann: Well, I’d have to start with my family, because my parents were true role models, encouraging me to learn. Education was key. Then I would also have to say my husband. He’s in my mind a musical genius. I don’t know he would agree with me, but I love him very much and he does amazing artistic work. Then, I would also say professionally I’ve been very privileged to have a mentor, Paula Barron. She’s the Chief Retail Officer at Tompkins VIST Bank. She’s an amazing woman. She’s probably the best writer I’ve ever met. Just having her to challenge, encourage, and guide me has been amazing over the last many years.
Toni: It’s interesting that the three people or the way that you’ve mentioned three people that have inspired you, including your parents, they all kind of fit into your three areas that you’re defining inspiration. What a way to have a well-rounded group of mentors around inspiration.
Ann: Absolutely.
Toni: What would you like your legacy to be?
Ann: My hope is I’m at this stage in my life where I would like to be able to pay it forward, to be able to inspire others. I’m looking to be somebody else’s mentor down the road, and hopefully they’ll think of me in the same way I think of the people that I’ve just mentioned.
Toni: How do you think you’ll do that?
Ann: I’m starting to do it, like I said, by volunteering. Being a part of that ELU cabinet with the United Way, as well as in my company as well. I’m in some leadership meetings and opportunities there, so they’re excited.
Toni: So you’re already living that legacy?
Ann: I’m trying.
Toni: Yeah. Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for showing up for the Get Inspired! Project.
Ann: Thank you for having me.
