Bradford Town & Gown Committee

05/29/2026

What is one local place every Pitt-Bradford student should visit? Let us know your thoughts!

Photo Credit: Tom Huntoon

05/27/2026

Small Town Girl Boutique and Kristina Luzzi, thank you for sharing about these customers from Toronto. As you said and as the Toronto guests said, there are GREAT things going on here. One of our goals is to inspire University of Pittsburgh at Bradford students to feel the same way.

One of the best parts about owning Small Town Girl Boutique is getting to meet people from all over who choose to visit our little corner of the world. ❤️

Today, we had the most delightful visitors stop into the boutique while visiting Bradford to check out the Zippo/Case Museum and flagship store from Toronto. They shared so many kind words about our community — from our restaurants and local shops to the genuine customer service and authentic small-town hospitality they experienced during their stay.

They talked about how welcomed they felt here… and honestly, it was such a beautiful reminder that sometimes we don’t always realize just how special our town truly is until we hear it through someone else’s eyes.

I loved getting to share some of the exciting things happening in Bradford — our upcoming America 250 celebrations, the Italian Festival, local events, and all of the amazing people working hard to keep our community thriving and growing.

This is a reminder Good things ARE happening here. ✨

As someone who loves this town deeply, it made my heart so happy to hear outsiders from a much larger city say how much they thoroughly enjoyed their visit and are already planning to come back.

Keep shining bright, my friends. Small towns still matter… and Bradford has something truly special. ❤️

— Kristina
Small Town Girl Boutique

05/27/2026

Meet the Bradford Town & Gown Committee.

This group of community leaders and partners is working together to strengthen the connection between the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and the greater Bradford community.

Committee Members include:

• Jessie Kerr, Bradford Area Alliance
• Christine Tyler, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
• Julie Marasco, Halloran Philanthropies
• Angelique Newhouse, Watson Institute
• Rustin Lippincott, Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau (ANFVB)
• Patrick Hollenbeck, Edward Jones
• Sarah Lonzi, United Way of the Bradford Area (UWBA)
• Mayva Sturzenbecker, Groovy Glaze

05/22/2026

Bradford Town & Gown Committee Seeks to Strengthen Community–Campus Partnership

BRADFORD, PA — A new Bradford Town & Gown Committee has been formed as a joint initiative between the Bradford Area Alliance and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. The Committee seeks to build on the decades of collaboration between the Bradford community and the university to further enhance the quality of life, growth and investment in the region.

For many years, university and community leaders, local organizations, students, faculty and staff and residents have worked to strengthen the relationship between campus and community. The Bradford Town & Gown Committee will look to expand that shared effort by creating space for conversation, collaboration, and meaningful partnership.

Initially, the group will focus on strengthening relationships, supporting local businesses, and connecting students, faculty, staff and residents around shared opportunities. This will include a welcome-back celebration for new and returning students that will be held in the fall as part of the university’s orientation programming.

“Our goal is to build on the strong foundation that already exists,” the committee shared in a joint statement. “We want to help students, faculty and staff get a better understanding of the services and support that Bradford offers while also helping businesses and residents take full advantage of the tremendous educational, cultural and training programs the university provides.”

The committee includes representatives from campus and across the Bradford community who share a commitment to the future of the city and the university. Updates, events, and opportunities to get involved will be shared with the community as activities are finalized through the committee’s social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.

For more information or to contact the committee directly, interested parties are encouraged to reach out to co-chairs Jessie Kerr of the Bradford Area Alliance or Christine Tyler of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford by email at [email protected]. Follow their page “Bradford Town and Gown”.

Photo Credit: Tom Huntoon

05/18/2026

What makes a community truly strong? Connection. Collaboration. A shared sense of belonging. 💙

The Bradford Town and Gown Committee is built on a simple but powerful vision: To create one cohesive and welcoming community for all.

Together, we are working to strengthen the relationship between the Bradford community and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford to create more opportunities for connection and celebrate what makes our community special.

When students, residents, businesses, faculty, and local leaders come together, great things happen. From community events to shared ideas and partnerships, Town and Gown is about building bridges that make Bradford stronger for everyone.

Photo Captions: Cookie Crawl event from December 3rd, 2025.