Name: Caitlin Gallagher

Tell us a little about yourself: As a Swamp Yankee from small-town Connecticut, I think it was my spell as a Brownie and Girl Scout that first kindled in me a civic spirit, although this admittedly fell by the wayside while pursuing a degree in English at Smith College and, later, an MA in Victorian Literature at the University of London. Ever the Anglophile, I'm now grateful that my work as a publicist at Yale University Press has me trumpeting biographies of the Bloomsbury Group and retrospectives of Regency dress, and hope to bring my bookish background to bear on various projects for the Junior League of Greater New Haven.

What inspired you to join the Junior League of Greater New Haven? It was shortly after moving to New Haven that the pandemic struck and I began working remotely. Not until being confined to my apartment, though, did I realize just how little I'd explored--let alone contributed--to my new community, and so went about researching volunteer opportunities in New Haven. While many seemed promising, I was immediately drawn to the Junior League's storied legacy and its commitment to actively training women to be effective volunteers. Seeking to make a genuine difference and to serve in the company of like-minded women, I joined the Junior League.

What are you looking forward to most about being a Junior League member? As hackneyed as it may sound, I'm most looking forward to meeting, getting to know, and learning from my fellow members in hopes of gaining greater insight into the League and becoming a successful member myself.

What advice would you give someone thinking about joining the Junior League? Don't hesitate to get involved! Too often I'm in the habit of procrastinating or putting off worthy ventures for fear that I've nothing to bring to the table. While I've only been a member since this summer, I can say that such fear is unfounded as I've already found a wellspring of warmth and support in my fellow Provisionals.

What is something you want your fellow JLGNH members to know about you? Before taking the liberal arts path at college, I was an aspiring operatic soprano with an offer to study at the Hartt School in Hartford, although I've long since said goodbye to any dreams of La Scala.

In what city do you live? New Haven, CT, where I've yet to take a side in the city's pizza wars.

Where is your hometown? Old Saybrook, CT, where I once saw Katharine Hepburn at the post office and reflexively curtsied as if meeting the Queen!