Audrey Flood devotes her life to public service

At only 25, Audrey Flood is already making waves in Tiffin's economy. Flood serves as the Development Manager for the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership (T-SEP). Her three main focuses are rural development, entrepreneurship and community development. For rural development, Flood provides support for businesses outside the city of Tiffin, like farmers. "My job is to connect with rural communities like townships and villages and work with those small businesses on their needs," she said. She stressed that rural businesses need just as much support as the ones in the city. As for entrepreneurship, Flood's goal is to streamline the approach to becoming an entrepreneur and make it easier for anyone who wants to start a local business. She even created the Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) Program, and a separate committee in T-SEP specifically focusing on entrepreneurship. Also on Flood's economic plate is community development: working with grants, donations and public funds for community use, such as parks and playgrounds. She worked closely with David Zack, CEO of T-SEP, to form a Project Identification and Prioritization Process (PIPP). "I recognize that that's just a bunch of words," Flood noted. "I had to think, 'how do we get this across to the people in our community and get them excited about it?' Well, we're really just asking them to dream big." And thus, the Dream Big Tiffin initiative was born, focusing on the actual needs and desires of Tiffin citizens, as told by the citizens themselves. T-SEP hired Flood part-time in February 2019, while she was still getting her Masters in Public Administration from Ohio State University's John Glenn College of Public Affairs. Once she graduated in May, she switched to full-time. She also completed her undergraduate education at OSU, studying psychology and public policy. She always ties her work back to OSU. "I use what I learned in that program every single day," Flood said. Though Flood's collegiate roots grew strong in Columbus, her family lives in Tiffin. She even went to Mohawk High School, graduating with the class of 2013. Although her job at T-SEP keeps her busy, Flood somehow found spare time to serve on the executive boards of four other local organizations, including the Seneca County Young Professionals, the Bloomville United Church of Christ, Seneca County Common Ground and the Tiffin City Charter Review Commission. Flood was selected just last week to act as the clerk for the Charter Review Commission. A self-described "local government nerd," she couldn't be more excited about the opportunity. "I love everything to do with local government," Flood said, speaking so quickly and passionately that she ran out of breath. "Being involved in this process that only happens every ten years is so exciting." Flood is also an active member of the Tiffin League of Women Voters, which she loves particularly due to its non-partisanship. When asked if she has any free time outside of all those local organizations, Flood responded simply, "I don't!" With what little spare time she has, Flood collects vintage books from antique shops. She has over 100 in her collection — some dating back more than 200 years. She also has family heirlooms, books that have been passed down for five generations. "Whenever I travel, my first stop is always to visit local book shops," she said. Flood also spends a lot of time with her family just outside of Tiffin, going for rides on her ancient 30-year-old horse, Booker. She used to show him in 4H competitions. Her family also religiously follows Ohio State football. But outside of the books, the family, the Buckeyes and taste-testing new craft beer with friends, most of Flood's life revolves around public service. And she likes it that way.