Senior Demographer Celebrates 25 Years
Posted October 10, 2023
Chester County recently recognized employees who are celebrating 25 years with Chester County Government. Congratulations to CCPC's Senior Demographer, Jake Michael, who was included in this outstanding group!
Jake began his career with CCPC after working in the private sector, participating in multiple projects through the mid-Atlantic region. "In college you learn planning principles. But to get results, you need to partner with municipal officials and organizations like land preservation trusts and historic committees," Jake said. "Establishing relationships, where you can help them, and they can help you, is essential."
Over the years Jake has contributed to many of the county's projects and successes. He was the primary author for Linking Landscapes back in 2002 (which was one of the first county-wide open space plans in the region), and notes, "It is nice to see how many of its proposed initiatives came to fruition."
Jake was also the project manager for the 2013 Brandywine Battlefield Preservation Plan, which has spawned several more detailed plans over the years. This study used modern GIS mapping and colonial era maps to find the location where British troops crossed the Brandywine River.
And from 2019 to 2020, Jake managed the Chester County Complete Count Committee, which worked to promote the value of filling out the 2020 US Census forms to populations like seniors and non-English speakers, who may not fully appreciate how it can benefit them.
After moving around quite a bit growing up, Jake says that Chester County truly feels like a home to him, and he enjoys seeing some of the projects he's worked on benefit the community.
In his spare time, Jake can often be found playing music (which he's been doing since he was a teenager). "Here in Chester County, we are lucky to have venues like Steel City, Kennett Flash, and the annual Malvern Porch Fest where local musicians can perform."
We look forward to working with Jake for many more years to come!