🌲 In the Heart of the Forest: Holly Komonczi – Heritage at Heart

By Rowan Crisp, Lumber Heritage Region Staff

🌳In the Heart of the Forest: Holly Komonczi – Heritage at Heart

Holly Komonczi is entering her 10th year as Executive Director for the Lumber Heritage Region. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Holly’s connection to the area runs deep, shaping the way she approaches her work and the communities she serves. Over the years, her involvement on local boards and committees has given her a front-row seat to both the challenges and resilience of rural Pennsylvania. Through it all, Holly has remained focused on pushing forward and helping the Lumber Heritage Region tell its story in a way that honors the past while supporting a strong future.

From her earliest years, Holly had an appreciation for nature, a value instilled in her by her grandmother, who taught her how to enjoy and be safe in the forest rather than afraid.
Even with this early appreciation for the forest, it was only once she got older and began traveling more that she really started to realize how lucky she was to grow up in Pennsylvania.
In her own words, “I’ve been fortunate enough to travel from coast to coast and everywhere in between, and that’s when I truly understood the beauty of growing up in PA”. Her time with the LHR has only continued to deepen her love of Pennsylvania’s forests, and she now shares that appreciation with her nieces and nephews, taking opportunities to teach them as her grandmother once taught her.

Holly first connected with the Lumber Heritage Region as the tourism liaison on the board while she was Executive Director of Visit Clearfield County, bringing her experience in regional work and a clear vision. After her time on the board, she had an opportunity to apply for the Executive Director position which had opened. With that same clear vision, she brought a ten year plan to her interview with the goal of making the Lumber Heritage Region a regional leader and a support system to the 487 municipalities it serves.

Of course the success she has helped bring to the Lumber Heritage Region has not been without challenges. For Holly, the biggest challenge “is having the capacity to keep up with all the great ideas and projects across our 15-county region. I want to do it all—fix it all—and help every community, and so does our team”. To keep up with the constant flow of ideas Holly works to attain funds and build relationships. “The LHR staff hasn’t said it out loud, but I know they regret it when I go to meetings and trainings. I always come back with a stack of business cards to share. I’m energized knowing there are people who not only want to see change, but want to help make it happen”, Holly explained.

Holly’s inspiration comes from her belief that every person has a story worth telling and from the region’s motivation to move forward as it continues to make itself a better place to live, work, and play.
To Holly, “heritage means valuing the things from the past that still influence our lives today. Heritage is what was left behind yesterday that helps people of tomorrow move into the future with knowledge, grace, and a sense of place”.

🌲 About “In the Heart of the Forest”
In the Heart of the Forest shares stories of individuals whose dedication enriches the heritage, landscapes, and communities of the Lumber Heritage Region. These profiles highlight the people who give their time, passion, and creativity to keep our forested towns vibrant and resilient.
If you know someone whose efforts deserve recognition, we welcome suggestions for future features.