Sandy Walsh named new PI:N manager
BY MARLI GUZZETTA
While being questioned (by this reporter) about her administrative ability, Sandy Walsh picked up from my bookshelf a highly scientific tome on love by astrological signs.

Walsh:"The people around you here on a day-to-day basis have so much to tell you."

"I would have had more fun talking about myself as a Scorpio," said Walsh, Manager of Operations and Special Events for the Nantucket Aids Network and newly appointed Facility and Event Manager for the Preservation Institute: Nantucket.

I don't need a book of astrological compatibility to know that putting Walsh with PI:N is a match made in the heavens.

PI:N is more than a building (also known as Sherburne Hall) at 11 Centre Street. It's a program within the College of Design, Construction and Planning at the University of Florida meant to teach architecture students about preservation issues through short academic programs, fieldtrips and research here on island. From mid-August through April, when class is not in session, the PI:N building has a second life as a community arts center, where group dance lessons, art exhibits, small concerts and craft fairs are held. The Nantucket Community Music Center is also housed, year-round, in the building. It will be Walsh's job to act as something of an air traffic controller, talent scout and promoter for these off-season events.

"Her experience and network of resources will allow her to maximize use of the UF properties thereby increasing funds for renovations and improvements for the non-profit educational institute. In addition, she will again be marketing and preserving a community space," according to a press release from UF's College of Design, Construction and Planning.

"People see the space, but they don't know what the program does," said CDCP Business Manager Crystal Lee. "In the past, we've not had someone on island to be there year round and get the message out to the community as to what PI:N is. … Sandy is a consultant, but she will also help promote the program."

One of Walsh's first jobs is writing grants for new lighting for PI: N - a need she knew existed from the many events she's held there.

"I have spent many hours in Sherburne Hall coordinating events for the Nantucket Arts Council and the Nantucket AIDS Network, attending dance classes and craft shows. The room is beautiful and inspiring, and calls out for more activity," Walsh said.

Practical. Complex. Passionate. A leader. Loyal. Adventurous.

Walsh read from my book a list of accepted Scorpio traits; anyone who knows this organizer extraordinaire would have been fine to agree with them in her case.

In addition to her full-time position at NAN, and her new position with PI:N, Walsh also volunteers on two different nonprofit boards - the Nantucket Arts Council and the Nantucket Institute of Spirituality and Health.

Originally from Braintree, Mass., Walsh originally came to Nantucket to develop a romantic relationship in August of 2001 - after a car accident and subsequent injury made her re-think her quality of life on the quick ascent up the ladder of corporate design in Boston.

"I was a hard worker, so I was busting my ass at this job, but I wasn't taking care of the injury, so it wasn't being allowed to heal," she said. "It made me think, 'I've got to slow down and look at my situation with my body.'"

She came to Nantucket for love, but ended up falling in love with Nantucket, with its beaches and people.

Since her arrival, Walsh has landscaped, worked retail and worked in office administration. She also served as the director and vice president of theSpace - a now-defunct arts venue and collective whose name, ironically, contains no space between the article and the noun.

Walsh has (believe it or not) simplified her life substantially since emigrating from the mainland. She believes in realizing an area's full potential by maximizing its local resources - that could mean anything from going to Annye's for advice on organic foods, or talking to a neighbor about laptops.

"The people around you here on a day-to-day basis have to so much to tell you," Walsh said. "I'm clueless when it comes to computer technology but I needed a new computer, and my new friend here, who came from the Dominican Republic, said, 'Before you go buying, you come to me; I will help you out,'" she said. "I could spend hours online researching things I know little about, or I could share a bottle of wine and make my friend dinner, and he can tell me what powerbook will suit my needs, and when I have a meltdown and freak out about the computer, he can help me. Now that's a resource."

"Everything you need is right here on Nantucket," said the woman who will bring it all together at PI: N.

SOME OF SANDY'S FAVORITE NANTUCKET THINGS

Alternative therapy

Walsh defines holistic living as "stressing the importance of knowing what you're putting into your body and doing to your body and the impact it has on the environment - not just the earth but also the people around you." Walsh said that, when she became involved in alternative therapies - yoga, massage and chiropractic - it "changed her lifestyle." "I could see a shift in the quality of my relationships," she said. "I spent more time being with people who could help me make better choices. People who were well versed in nutrition. Positive people."

Favorite regular purchase under $5:

Organic avocadoes at Stop & Shop, when they're ripe.

Favorite regular purchase under $50:

A bottle of wine. I'll generally buy any of Annye's recommendations, and the great news is that they're always under $20.

Favorite way to distract yourself during winter:

Private dance parties. And also walking through the state forest in the winter. There's a chapel out there. My roommate brought me there one day. It was snowing and so beautiful that I was blown away.

Favorite classes to take at PI: N or anyplace else:

Swing dance with Clay [Twombley] and Audrey [Sterk]; Lisa Silveira's mat class, and I'm hoping tango with Carlos Ibarra.

Favorite place to go with an hour of time to kill:

Pilates Studio of Nantucket.

Favorite place to take visitors:

(In the summer) The beach.

(In the winter) Bookworks. Brigham Galleries. And the beach.

Favorite drink and favorite place to get it:

Guinness at Kitty Murtagh's, while being waited on by Polya. She's one of my favorite waitresses. Her

level of service and friendliness makes it a treat. I