No Ceiling: Heather Hardinger

Heather is one of the newest members of Springfield City Council after winning 41% of votes for General Seat A during the April 2021 election. She has devoted her career to workforce and economic development, while also pursuing passion projects by volunteering with equity commissions and national hunger relief initiatives. As a child growing up in Alaska, there were times when her family didn’t have stable housing and her mom applied for public assistance. Heather says those experiences give her the understanding and empathy to be a leader for all people in the community.

On Strength
“I remember a time when we rented our entire house to visitors, to the community, and slept in our garage because we needed the money to pay the mortgage. My mom really wanted to do everything she could to make it work so we could keep our house. I think a lot of that tenacity has kind of helped me and my siblings push through tough times.”