Bio for Dan Kubis
Name: Dan Kubis
What years have you lived in Lawrenceville? 2007-8; 2009-present
Why did you move to Lawrenceville? It’s a walkable neighborhood with dense housing and cultural activities.
Current Job Title (if employed): Senior Lecturer in English, University of Pittsburgh
Why do you want to be on the LU Board? What would you like to work on within the neighborhood? I want to be on the LU Board to participate in the neighborhood, which has been my home for over a decade now. I would approach the position with an interest towards listening and learning more about the neighborhood and the people in it. I would not approach the job with predefined problems that I want to solve or address, though I do hope that my contributions would work towards improving equity and accessibility.
Please list Volunteer, Non-Profit, or Board Experience: My main non-profit experience has come from a program I developed at Pitt called the Public Humanities Fellows programs, where I worked to place humanities graduate students at Pitt in internships with local cultural non-profits.
What makes Lawrenceville unique? Why? At this point Lawrenceville is unique because it’s such a destination for its shops and restaurants, but this is combined with its older working-class identity. As more development has occurred that older identity has become less visible, but I still think that combination is at the heart of what Lawrenceville is.
One of LU’s core values is equity and the organization will be undergoing anti-oppression trainings in summer 2022, which new Board members will participate in. What’s one idea you have for how LU should live out its commitment to equity? I’d love to do as much as I can to continue to support affordable housing in the neighborhood. I spoke to city council on behalf of the Inclusionary Zoning overlay in 2019 and was thrilled when that passed, not least because I live right across from Arsenal 201, which was directly affected.
How are you involved in the Lawrenceville community? I’m mostly involved by trying to be a good neighbor, but I have also directly participated through LU in the past by speaking at hearings or writing letters on development issues.
What would you bring to the LU Board (e.g. experience, skills, perspective, network, etc.)? I’ve lived in Lawrenceville for more than a decade and have a network of friends and contacts that I’ve developed in that time. I suppose I also know a little bit about its recent history at this point. In my job at Pitt I work to facilitate conversations with diverse groups of people, and I would look forward to bringing those skills to the board as well.
What is one fun fact that others might be surprised to know about you? I lived in Poland for two years as an English teacher (2002-2004).