Cynthia was born in Williamsport, PA — home of the Little League Baseball World Series — and moved to Cheney, Washington at age six. She graduated from Cheney High School and went on to earn her degree from Eastern Washington University.

Her career in public service spans nearly three decades. After an early stint with Labor & Industries, Cynthia spent 25 years at the Washington State Department of Ecology as an Environmental Specialist, building deep expertise in permitting, compliance, and the regulatory landscape that governs infrastructure projects across the state. In 2021, she joined the Department of Commerce to help launch the Small Communities Initiative Program, supporting smaller municipalities in accessing resources they might otherwise struggle to navigate — before retiring in 2025.

You may also know Cynthia as the co-chair of the Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council (IACC) Conference. 

Lucky for us, retirement didn't stick. Cynthia came out of retirement to join Varela as a Project Manager, and the timing couldn't be better for our clients. Her firsthand experience working alongside the agencies that fund, review, and regulate infrastructure projects makes her a well-known and trusted figure throughout Washington's water and wastewater world. Her relationships at Ecology and Commerce—combined with long-standing ties to dozens of local governments across the state—bring real depth to our funding team. If you represent a small town or city in Washington, there's a good chance Cynthia has already helped you or a community just like yours.