Name: Nicole Bourassa, AICP Title: Principal Planner Company: Town of North Kingstown Location: Rhode Island Birthplace: Fall River, Massachusetts Family: Fiancé Chris and 2-year-old daughter Emma College: UMass Amherst - BS in Environmental Science; Clemson University - Master of City and Regional Planning First job unrelated to your current field: Lifeguard First job in current field: Assistant planner in Needham, MA What your firm does now and its plans for the future? The North Kingstown planning department is responsible for the long and short-range planning for the community. We assist the community in developing its vision for the future through innovative growth management practices. Hobbies: Home renovation and interior design, reading Favorite novel: Just finished "The Hunger Games" trilogy Favorite film: "The Cutting Edge" Keys to success: Self-education and perseverance. You really have to constantly be learning - whether from a book or just from day-to-day observation - to continue to grow and succeed. Person you admire most (outside of family): Professionally I would say Jane Jacobs, as she had a fabulous understanding of the need to weave the social characteristics in a community with the built characteristics of a community. If you had to choose a different profession, what would it be? I would be a psychologist.