40 Under 40 Alumni Spotlight: Erin Danastasio, 2013

Then: Marketing communications manager, American Dehydrated Foods Inc. and International Dehydrated Foods Inc.
Now: Executive director, Hatch Foundation

From owning an embroidery business, In Stitches LLC, Erin Danastasio, 39, followed another thread, and by 2013, she had a management role over her family’s dehydrated foods business – something that was not a given, requiring a degree and a record of outside employment.

But now Danastasio wears a different title: philanthropist. In that role, she has been a change-maker in the Springfield community, funding Springfield Art Museum improvements, Ozark Greenways Inc. developments and multiple other causes.

But Danastasio has a heart for one initiative in particular: Celebrate Springfield, an annual festival that encourages locals to “love where you live.”

“I just love Springfield,” she says. “I take a lot of pride in the fact that I’m able to give back in the way that I can today. I hope Springfield is a place that my kids are going to want to stay in – and their kids are, too.”

Advice to young professionals? I haven’t always been good about taking time to reflect, but it’s important to pause and appreciate your accomplishments.