Allie Hagerman
Allie Hagerman joined the client relations team at PVH in February 2015. She is a graduate of both Central York High School and the University of Maryland at College Park, where she majored in journalism with a minor in biology. With a talent for writing which has served her well in the job market, she finds herself drawn back time and time again to working with animals.
Allie’s resume includes an impressive list of writing credits for the Hanover Evening Sun, York Daily Record and the Carlisle Sentinel. Her usual beat was covering community events and non-profit organizations, along with reports about the local education system and government.
“The daily grind of newspaper work is really intense,” she remembers.
Along with her degree in journalism, Allie also studied teaching at York College, and earned a certificate in digital print design from Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. But whether working as a successful writer or substitute teacher, the thought of a different career was never far from her mind.
“I have always loved animals and I feel like I was always meant for a career with animals,” she says. “I started volunteering at the SPCA when I was pretty young.” In fact, the SPCA acknowledged her hard work with the “Be Kind to Animals Kid” award. Years later, she worked at the York County SPCA as a customer service representative, along with hands-on duties in both the cattery and veterinary wing.
Allie most fondly remembers the three years she spent as an animal keeper at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. What began as volunteer work led to a permanent position as a zookeeper where she was responsible for feeding the animals, medicating them, providing enrichment and playtime and of course . . . cleaning up after them.
“It was not always the most glamorous job, but was also the most amazing experience ever!” she admits.
Most of her duties at the zoo were divided among the ape house, cheetah conservation station, zebras and giraffes, and a unique breed of wild horses. Known as Przewalski’s horses, they are an animated and loving beast which definitely left gentle hoof prints on Allie’s heart.
Now that her working life has turned again to animals, Allie is happy to find herself among a team of dedicated animal lovers at PVH.
“I thought this would be a receptionist job and that’s it,” she says. “But it’s a lot more than that. It’s amazing to see the bond between clients and their animals—how devoted they are to their animals’ health. We really connect with the people who come here and their pets on a totally different level than I ever expected.”